Asylum
by gm13lumos
Summary: Asylum, noun, an inviolable place of refuge and protection giving shelter to criminals. At least that's what it was supposed to be. Dramione.
1. Prologue

A/N: Hello, hello, hello! It's been a while. This is my newest story. It is complete so I will upload chapters as often as I can. It's 22 chapters, not including the prologue and the epilogue. Enjoy :)

"Harry James Potter, you cannot possibly be serious," Hermione Granger shouted, jumping out of her seat at the conference table. "We can't do that!"

"Hermione, please," Harry said, rubbing his temples. "Sit down and let's talk about this."

"There is nothing to talk about," Hermione replied, leaning over the conference table and punctuating every word with a smack of her hand on the table. "This is not an option."

"It's the only option left," Harry told her, quietly. "We've tried everything else."

"It's wrong, Harry," Hermione insisted. She leaned back. "Someone else has to agree with me!"

Hermione looked around the conference table at the other members of the Order for support but as she look at each of their expressions, she saw the same resignation she saw on Harry's face.

"Hermione, we've tried everything," Kingsley Shacklebolt said from his seat at the head of the table. "We have tried imprisoning them, rehabilitating them, teaching them, but nothing has changed."

"It's only been four years," Hermione persisted, looking directly at Ginny, Molly, and Arthur Weasley for support. "We just need more time, more options."

"There's no more time," Ron told her. "The Death Eaters are relentless. They believe in their cause, they're willing to die for it, and we can't stop them. We need to act now while we have them all in Azkaban. Before they escape, AGAIN."

"Professor McGonagall," Hermione pleaded to the Hogwarts headmistress. "You can't believe this is what we should do."

"We have to do what's best for the greater good," McGonagall replied. "It's best to eliminate the threat to the safe world that we've worked so hard to build over the last few years."

"I can't be a part of this," Hermione said, moving toward the door of the room. "I won't."

"Hermione, see reason!" Ron said, jumping from his chair and moving in front of her.

He grabbed her hands and said quietly, "I love you but sometimes you can be so stubborn. We have to do this."

"I love you too, Ron," Hermione replied sadly. She squeezed his hands and continued, "But I've never been able to agree with you on this. You're wrong."

With a sound of disgust, Ron dropped her hands and returned to his seat.

Hermione looked around the room, waiting to see if anyone else would speak. Seeing no one move, she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it but the door did not open.

"You cannot leave until we vote," Kingsley reminded her. "I believe that was your idea when we first put together this council."

With a huff, Hermione turned on her heel and returned to her seat.

"All those opposed?" he asked.

Hermione shot her hand into the air and shook her head sadly when no one else raised their hand.

"This is a mistake," she said. "One we're going to come to regret. This will make us no better than the Death Eaters."

"All those in favor?" Kingsley asked, disregarding Hermione's comment.

Everyone else's hands in the room went into the air.

"The measure passes," Kingsley announced. "At noon tomorrow the memories of all Death Eaters will be wiped and they will be given new lives in a secluded, warded town that will be created on the outskirts of London. No one outside of this office will know of its existence."

Kingsley's announcement was met with murmurs of accord. Kingsley opened his mouth to speak but Hermione shot out of her chair.

"Minister, I have a second motion," she announced. "To be put to a vote immediately."

Everyone at the table looked at her with surprise.

"Yes, Ms. Granger?" Kingsley asked.

"I move that we create a department specifically responsible for monitoring the Death Eaters," Hermione declared.

"That's rubbish," Ron called out. "Why would we waste the resources? Who would even run it?"

"I will," Hermione said firmly. "And if they really are as dangerous as you think, someone should be watching them."

"Ms. Granger, are you certain?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking at Hermione in surprise. "You were just appointed the Chief of the Wizengamot advocates, do you really want to give that up?"

"I need to do this," Hermione replied, looking around the table pleadingly. "If you won't listen to me, at least let me keep an eye on them and let me make sure that they are okay."

"Ms. Granger," Kingsley began but Harry interrupted him.

"I second Hermione's motion," Harry replied. "It makes sense to have oversight and to make sure they adjust. They're going to have questions, they're going to need resources. Hermione is the best person to do it."

"Put it to a vote," Hermione urged. "If the council thinks it is best, let me do this."

Kingsley sighed. "Very well, all in favor of Ms. Granger creating and running an oversight department?"

Harry's hand immediately went into the air. Slowly but surely, every other hand went up except Ron's.

"That motion passes as well, then," Kingsley said, resigned. "Ms. Granger will create and run an oversight department. You are all free to go. I will see you tomorrow morning."

Everyone rose from the table except Hermione. Sensing she had more to say, Kingsley remained behind as well. Hermione stared at her hands in her lap as everyone filed out of the room. Once they were alone, Hermione looked up.

"This is wrong," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Kingsley, this is just wrong."

"It's the best option," Kingsley replied. "And the oversight department is a good idea."

"Who is going to wipe all their memories?" Hermione asked. "That's too much to ask of one person."

"I'm going to do it," Kingsley told her. "I'm the Minister of Magic so that responsibility falls to me."

"That's a lot of people whose memories you're going to have to wipe," Hermione exclaimed. "You can't do it by yourself. At least have Ronald help, killing them all was his idea."

"I assure you, Ms. Granger, I am more than capable of doing what I need to do," Kingsley answered. "Is there anything else?"

Realizing she was being dismissed, Hermione rose from her chair. "No," she replied. "Nothing more."

"I will see you tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. for the obliviation," Kingsley said. "I expect you to have a plan for your new department by then."

"Yes, sir," Hermione answered.

Hermione walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She leaned against it, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Hermione?"

Hermione opened her eyes to see Ron standing down the hall from her. He walked up to her and tried to kiss her but she turned her head to the side.

"Hermione, you can't have been serious about what you said in the meeting," Ron said, looking down at her. "I love you and how much you love your little causes but you have to see reason!"

Hermione looked up at him sadly. "I love you, Ron. I do. But I can't agree with you on this, I've never been able to. We have the same argument in this hallway every six months. I'm tired of it. This isn't just some little cause. This is people's lives."

"Hermione, they're Death Eaters," Ron argued. "They're valueless, not worthy of their magic. They're evil."

"That's what they say about people like me," Hermione said quietly. "And they tried to kill Muggleborns. Are you suggesting, yet again, that we do the same? That we're no better than they are?"

"We are superior though," Ron told her. "Look at what they've done to my family, Harry's family, Remus, Tonks, our friends, our classmates. They should die for what they've done. Wiping their memories is too easy."

"Easy?" Hermione replied, incredulously. "You think it will be easy for them to live a life without their memories?"

"You're giving them a fresh start," Ron said angrily. "A nice new home, no recollection of the war, of everything that they did, of everything that happened, of everything that we lost. They don't deserve a new life, Hermione. They deserve no life at all.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears at his words. "And that's where we disagree, Ronald. I think we can save them, we just haven't found a way how yet. I'll remind you that some of them were our classmates as well."

"They can't be saved," Ron replied, nastily. "Not Malfoy, not Parkinson, not Nott, not Zabini, any of them. They are evil. If we can't kill them, the least we can do is make sure they aren't a threat. They don't deserve to have their memories. I still don't understand why you can't see this my way. The right way."

"Murder isn't the right way," Hermione told him, coldly. "It never has been."

"It's the only way," Ron spat back. "When it comes to people like that, it's the only way."

"We'll never agree," Hermione replied, with a sigh and a shake of her head. "Let's just go home."

Hermione moved to walk down the hall but stopped when she realized Ron hadn't followed her. She looked at him questioningly.

"Me or them," he said, quietly.

"What?" Hermione asked, certain she'd heard him wrong.

"Me or them," Ron said again, louder this time. "I'm sick of having this fight, I'm sick of dealing with this at all, so choose, Hermione. Me or them. Right now. Your boyfriend or the group of people who spent years trying to kill people like you."

"Ronald, you cannot be serious-" Hermione started to say but Ron cut her off.

"ME OR THEM, HERMIONE," he shouted, his face turning red and he took a threatening step towards her. "Me or them. You can't have it both ways anymore."

Hermione stared at Ron as tears filled her eyes. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, then closed it once more. They stared at one another for several moments before Ron threw his hands up in defeat.

"So we're done then?" he asked. "Four years together down the drain because you want to save a bunch of useless Death Eaters?"

"Four years down the drain because you want to kill an entire group of people because of who they are and what they believe," Hermione retorted, suddenly angry. "This is an unfair choice for you to force me to make."

"No, Hermione, it's an easy one," Ron replied. "And you chose wrong. We are done."

At that, he walked down the hallway.

Hermione quickly left the Ministry and managed to make it home before she dissolved into tears. As much as it hurt, she knew she had done the right thing. She just hoped that someday, everyone else would see it too.

A/N: Review, favorite, all the good stuff - I love hearing what you think! 3


	2. Chapter 1

**_Three years later_**

Hermione stood toward the back of the group gathered around the grave. Harry and Ginny stood holding hands to her left and Hannah Abbott had her arm linked through Ron's to her right. They all watched in silence as Kingsley's casket was lowered into the ground. Once the casket was in the ground, the group began to disperse until only the members of the counsel remained.

"We need to talk," Arthur Weasley said quietly. "Somewhere private."

"We can go to Grimmauld Place," Harry offered. "No one can disturb us there."

With a nod, Arthur disapparated, followed by Molly, Ginny, Harry, and McGonagall.

Hermione was about to apparate when she noticed Ron had pulled Hannah aside. She waited, watching him speak with Hannah. He gave Hannah a kiss goodbye and then walked over to Hermione.

"She doesn't know, does she?" Hermione asked him. "She doesn't know what we did."

"No," Ron replied. "That was part of the deal, wasn't it? We couldn't tell anyone?"

"Of course," Hermione replied with a small smile. "Should we go? I'm sure they're waiting for us."

Ron nodded and the two disapparated, reappearing in front of Grimmauld Place. They walked in silence up the stairs and into the house. They followed the sounds of voices into the main living room where everyone was seated. Hermione sat in her usual arm chair by the door and Ron sat down next to his mother on one of the couches. Ginny floated in tea for everyone before sitting down next to Harry.

"Minister," Harry said, looking to Arthur. "The floor is yours."

Arthur gave Harry a small smile before he rose from the couch where he was sitting with Molly and moved in front of the fireplace to address the room.

"At 2:36 a.m., Kingsley Shacklebolt was found dead in his bedroom. The official cause of death that was released to the public was exhaustion. Quite simply, as far as the wizarding world is concerned, he worked himself to death," Arthur began, looking around the room while he spoke. "What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room."

Everyone in the room nodded and Hermione felt a twist in her gut. She'd been keeping a secret for the last 3 years and it might finally be coming to the surface.

"Kingsley was murdered," Arthur told them.

At Arthur's words the room erupted in questions. Arthur held up his hand and everyone stopped talking.

"Listen, please, I won't say this more than once," Arthur said loudly. "Kingsley's body showed signs of torture and we were able to discern that he was ultimately killed with Avada Kedavra just prior to him bleeding out completely."

"I don't understand," Molly said. "Why not tell the wizarding world? Why not send every Auror we have after whoever killed Kingsley?"

"Because the murderer carved something into Kingsley's chest," Arthur continued. "Something that until today, we believed only the people in this room knew."

"What was it?" Ron asked.

"Asylum," Arthur replied, gravely.

His announcement was met with shocked silence.

"Asylum?" Harry asked, sharply. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Arthur replied, gripping the table. "Someone carved the name of the town where we relocated the Death Eaters whose memories we wiped into Kingsley's chest. After he died."

"You told someone, didn't you?" Ron said, looking accusingly at Hermione. "You told someone and you got Kingsley killed."

"I told no one!" Hermione exclaimed. "Everyone that works for me took an unbreakable vow just like you wanted so they couldn't have told either. This wasn't me!"

"Ron Bilius Weasley, that's enough," Arthur scolded his son. "No one in this room said anything and we need to focus. We don't know how much they know, we don't know what they're going to do with that knowledge. This needs to be priority number 1. We need to find who killed Kingsley."

"Without using Aurors?" Harry asked. "I'm the head of the Aurors, I need to use my people."

"Pick a team that you trust implicitly," Arthur replied. "And come up with a cover case for them to be investigating so they don't get any question. I think it would be best if you worked out of Hermione's department so perhaps they can investigate something there."

"Arthur, almost no one knows Hermione's department exists," Harry pointed out. "How can we come up with a cover story?"

"I do still operate the museum above the offices," Hermione pointed out. "I'll tuck away a priceless artefact and you can come investigate where it went."

Arthur looked to Harry. "It sounds good to me."

"Okay," Harry replied. "Ron and I will put together a team and be over there first thing in the morning."

"This is our top priority," Arthur told the group. "Nothing else matters more than this."

"Actually," Hermione interrupted, slowly rising from her chair. "There is something else we need to be concerned about."

"What could be more important than finding who killed Kingsley?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione agitatedly.

Hermione took a breath and continued. "Three years ago, I kept something from everyone. You all know Kingsley and I spoke after the meeting and that's where he told me he would be the sole person obliviating all the Death Eaters."

"Yeah, so?" Ron asked, impatiently. "And he did it, we sent them all away, now he's dead and they are probably the reason why."

"Let me finish, Ronald," Hermione snapped at him. "What I didn't mention, to Kingsley or to any of you, is that casting a charm like Obliviate zaps a little bit of magic from the castor. And if you cast the charm in succession, each subsequent charm is slightly weaker than the last one."

"So what are you saying?" Ginny asked. "That some of the memory charms are stronger than the others?"

"Yes," Hermione replied. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Harry asked. "We know the memory charms have held, your department makes sure of that."

"The problem with memory charms is that their strength is tied to the strength of the castor," Hermione continued. "Kingsley was a strong wizard while he was alive so his memory charms held over the years because of that. But when the castor of the memory charm dies, that strength wanes and could potentially cease to exist all together."

"Hermione, what are you saying?" Ginny asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"I'm saying that because Kingsley is dead, there's a very large possibility that the memory charms will fail and the memories of the Death Eaters will be restored," Hermione said, not meeting anyone's gaze. "Starting with the very last person who Kingsley cast the charm on and likely working backwards all the way to the first."

Hermione's words hung in the air as everyone in the room processed what she said. No one spoke until Ron exploded.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, how could you keep that from us?" he shouted. "You placed the safety of the entire wizarding world in jeopardy just because you didn't like what we voted, as a council, to do?"

"I kept the information to myself because what we were doing was wrong," she fired back. "And I figured I could use the time to try to find new ways to integrate the Death Eaters back into the wizarding world. I had no idea someone Kingsley would die so soon."

"He didn't just die," Ron seethed. "He was murdered. Likely because someone else found out what you just told us."

"But how could that be?" Ginny asked, ready to defend Hermione. "The entire wizarding world thinks all the Death Eaters died when Azkaban burned to the ground. No one knows that they're even alive let alone living outside of London!"

"Someone knows," Harry pointed out. "Now, even more than ever, we need to figure out who."

"Harry, Ron, assemble your team tonight," Arthur ordered. "Minerva, return to Hogwarts and maintain order there. Hermione , you are to go directly to the department and inform your employees of the situation and remind them of the unbreakable vow they took. I want round the clock monitoring and a report every 24 hours. The rest of you are free to go."

As soon as Arthur finished, the room became a flurry of activity. Ron threw Hermione one final angry look before Harry pulled him out the door to apparate to the Auror office. Hermione gave Ginny a quick hug as thanks for standing up for her and also left, apparating to just outside the museum. She stood outside the building for a minute replaying everything that had happened. But she only spent a minute. There was too much to do and little time to do it. Hermione took a deep breath and marched into the department.

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A/N: The stage is set. I've decided that I'll do my very, very best to post a chapter every Thursday. As I said, the story itself is done, it's just a matter of finding the time to upload it! Favorite, follow, review - it means a lot! :)


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: I have failed you. I promised I'd post every Thursday and I completely and totally forgot to do so until today. Please forgive me! The good news is it means you won't have to wait as long between chapters this week! Yay for that! Review, favorite, follow 3

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Hermione walked into the museum through the front door and felt the same swell of pride as she had the first time she had entered the fully renovated museum. She had, after all, spent a decent amount of her time curating it. The museum was a unique mix of art, artefacts, as well as an interactive portion of the museum for young witches and wizards. Hermione strode through the museum and, after pressing her palm to the scanner on the wall at the back of the museum, stepped into a small elevator. A minute later, she emerged into the work space for the museum. It was a large room with wood floors and pale blue walls. There were wooden desks spaced throughout the room with two chairs at each desk. The right wall of the room consisted entirely of lockers made to look like wood paneling. The left wall was a massive floor to ceiling bookshelf that contained a mixture of books and other odds and ends that the museum had acquired. A monitoring room was separate from the work area and located at the back of the space. Hermione saw that 3 of her 4 team members were working on cleaning artefacts, noting that the silver door at the back of the room was open and likely where the last member was. The artefacts must have been the ones that had just come from the Lestrange house courtesy of the curse breakers team that had finally managed to enter the home the previous day, she thought to herself. They were surprised to find numerous old wizarding texts and items in the home and Hermione had immediately sought to obtain everything for the museum. Because no one from the Lestrange family was present to object, everything was transferred to the museum with minimal fuss.

Hermione watched the team work for a moment with a smile. She was lucky, she acknowledged, that she had been able to find not one but four people who were interested in working for the museum but also didn't mind pulling shifts monitoring Asylum. They were a mix of former Hogwarts students of varying years and she trusted them all implicitly. Not only had every single member of her team undergone the rigorous Auror training but they'd also trained in Occlumency, making their minds both sharp and impenetrable. She cleared her throat and in an instant, three pairs of eyes looked up at her.

"I need everyone in the control room, please," Hermione requested. "Now."

The team members exchanged a look before rising from their tables and moving quickly to the silver door. Each placed their palm directly on the door and Hermione came up behind them and placed her hand of the door as well. A moment later the door slid open and everyone entered the room. When she entered, her eyes landed on the final team member who was sitting in a large computer chair in front of a wall of monitors. Hermione's eyes quickly skimmed over the wall of monitors before she even knew she was doing it. She still hated it, she realized, even after three years, she still hated being able to watch every minute of the lives of these people; the residents of Asylum. She always called them residents in her mind because she hated to call them Death Eaters. But she knew how the others might react if they knew that that was how she thought of them so she tried not to call them that in front of anyone team member sitting in front of the monitors, Dennis Creevey, broke the silence.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Dennis asked with a worried look on his face.

"We have a situation," Hermione said authoritatively. "Everyone please have a seat."

At her command, the team members moved to the conference table at the back of the room. Another team member, Susan Bones, conjured steaming cups of coffee and Hermione smiled at her gratefully.

"Well?" asked Padma Patil. "What's happened?"

"We have reason to believe that Kingsley Shacklebolt was murdered," Hermione began. Her statement was met with a collective gasp.

"What?" Susan cried. "How?"

"Please let me get through this," Hermione requested quietly. "Someone killed Kingsley and when they did, they carved the word 'asylum' into the body."

"Someone knows," Dennis interrupted, a look of horror on his face.

His horror turned to anger and he turned to his left, looking at the final team member who, to that point, had not spoken. "You told, didn't you?" Dennis said accusingly. "I knew Slytherins couldn't be trusted."

"That's enough," Hermione said sharply. "Millicent took the same unbreakable vow that all of you did. If she had broken it, she would be dead."

"I didn't say anything," Millicent mumbled quietly. "I would never."

"I know," Hermione replied, changing her tone to kind. "I trust you."

Hermione then turned her attention back to Dennis. "Dennis, consider this your final warning," she told him. "If you make another unwarranted accusation against Millicent I will have to remove you from this team."

"I'm sorry," Dennis mumbled, staring down at the conference table.

Satisfied, Hermione looked back at the remainder of the team and continued. "An auror team will be here soon and they will be working out of the conference room next to the work space. Under no circumstances should you allow them to enter into the workspace or this room. Their goal is to determine who killed Kingsley. They do not know anything about the town. We will aid them as needed but that will not be our primary goal."

"What's our primary goal?" Padma asked.

"With Kingsley dead, I have good reason to believe that the memory charms that he placed on the Death Eaters will start to unravel and will ultimately dissipate entirely."

"You mean, they're going to get their memories back?" Susan asked, shocked.

"They can't," Millicent cried, rising from her seat at the conference table. "They can't get their memories back. They'll come for me. They can't!"

"Millicent, no one will come for you," Hermione said, standing and moving into Millicent's path.

Hermione grabbed her by the shoulders and said, "you are safe, you will continue to be safe, but I need you to focus, okay?"

Millicent wiped the tears from her cheeks and nodded. Hermione kept her hands on Millicent's shoulders and looked at the rest of the team. "Our job is to track every single Death Eater. We need to know who is showing signs of getting their memory back. We also have to figure out what to do with them once their memories come back."

"How are we going to be able to tell if someone is getting their memory back?" Colin asked.

"We have spent the last three years monitoring these people," Hermione answered. "We know more about them than they know about each other. We're going to have to begin actively monitoring all of them 24 hours a day, effective immediately."

"There's only four of us," Susan pointed out. "Does that mean we all are going to have 8 hour shifts just sitting here?"

"I'll be helping monitor," Hermione replied. "So that makes 5. I may be able to get someone else to help but there's a limited number of people who know about what happened."

"I can do an 8 hour shift," Millicent chimed in quietly.

"We all can if we need to," Padma said, confidently.

The other members of the team nodded in agreement.

Hermione smiled at her team in response. "Great," she answered. "This does mean though, that dealing with any artefacts that come in will have to be put on hold. This is all we do until Asylum is secure."

"Isn't it going to look suspicion having an auror team working out of the museum?" Colin wanted to know.

"Yes," Hermione told him. "Which is why, as far as the wizarding world will be concerned, the Elder Scrolls have been stolen. They are by far the most valuable artefact we have in the museum and no one will question why a top auror team was called in to solve the mystery."

"Sounds good," Susan said, nodding with approval. "Where should we put it though? They're huge and not exactly easy to move."

"I'm not sure," Hermione admitted. "I was hoping one of you might have an idea."

"What if we didn't move them at all?" Dennis asked. "I've been working on something, a play on the types of windows that muggles have. It is charmed panes of glass that you can see out but you can't see in. We could place it over the already existing glass case."

"Dennis, that's brilliant!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're certain it will work without damaging the actual display?"

"I am," Dennis relied confidently. "I'll need to go home and grab what I have."

"Why did you invent that?" Susan asked curiously. "That's not a normal thing to just think up."

"I was planning to try and sell it to the magical architects and make a bit of extra money," Colin admitted. "I want to propose to my girlfriend and the goblin-made rings are expensive."

"Colin, that's wonderful!" Hermione said with a smile. "But I'm not sure we can pay you for it."

"That's okay," Colin said with a shrug. "If this goes well, I'll have the greatest sales pitch in the world."

"Great," Hermione replied. "Colin, run home and come straight back here as quickly as you can."

At her request, Colin rose from his seat and quickly left the room. Hermione then turned to the rest of her team.

"I'll take the first shift watching the cameras," Hermione told them. "Then Millicent, then Padma, then Susan, then Colin. When you are not on a shift, I ask that you still try to spend as much time here as possible so that we can work with the auror team if they need our help. I just ask that two of you be here at all times."

"We can handle working on the details," Susan offered. "Is it alright if we all run home and get some of our things?"

"That's fine," Hermione replied. "I just need one person to stay."

"I'll stay," Millicent answered.

"Thank you," Hermione said with a smile to Millicent. "Susan and Padma, you're free to go."

Susan and Padma exited the room, leaving Hermione and Millicent alone.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Millicent interrupted. "Thank you," she said, quietly.

"You don't need to thank me," Hermione replied. "I meant what I said, I trust you. Colin just has trouble."

"He has every reason to," Millicent told Hermione, shrugging her shoulders. "Death Eaters killed his brother, I'm one of them."

"You are NOT," Hermione said, fiercely. "Your parents were Death Eaters, you were never."

"Yes, I got to spend my time chained in a basement because I wouldn't help," Millicent replied with more vehemence than Hermione had heard from her in a long time. "I heard everything, saw everything, and I did nothing."

"You were a child," Hermione told her, taking Millicent's hands in hers. "We all were. You resisted, you refused. You are not responsible for your parents' actions."

When Millicent didn't respond, Hermione rose and wrapped her arms around the girl. "You are not one of them," Hermione whispered fiercely. "And we are going to save the rest of them."

She pulled back and looked at Millicent. Millicent nodded in response.

"Let's get to work," Hermione told her, standing and moving to the chair in front of the monitor. Millicent dragged a chair next to her and they sat, watching as the Death Eaters in Asylum went about their evening activities, blissfully unaware of what was to come.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Okay, so new promise. I will do my very best to upload a chapter once a week. Clearly the whole "every Thursday" thing isn't working. Review, favorite, follow! :)

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An hour later, Colin, Padma, and Susan had all returned. With Hermione's help, the four of them had set up Colin's panes of glass in a box around the display holding the Elder scrolls. They all stepped back and, with a wave of his wand, Colin charmed the panes of glass to match the background of the museum.

"That's amazing," Susan breathed, walking around the display. "It blends seamlessly with the surroundings."

"It works," Colin said, a wide grin on his face. "It works perfectly."

"You've done an excellent job," Hermione complimented. "Really fantastic work, Colin."

"Thank you," he replied, smiling at Hermione.

"Now," Hermione continued. "Harry should be here soon with the auror team to set up in our office. Before they get here we need to-"

But before Hermione could finish, Harry and his team entered the museum.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry greeted her, then looked to the rest of her team.

"Hi, Harry," Hermione replied with a smile. "I think you already know my team, this is Colin, Padma, and Susan. Millicent is down in the work space."

"Hello everyone," Harry said in response, giving Hermione's team a smile before turning to gesture to his own team. "I think you know everyone on my team as well."

"Yes," Hermione answered. "Hello Ron. Seamus, Dean, and Katie it's nice to see you!"

"Hello," Harry's team chorused in response.

"Where can we set up?" Harry asked.

"Colin, Susan, and Padma can show your team where to set up," Hermione answered. "I'd like to speak to you and Ron for a moment."

Harry nodded to his team and they followed Hermione's team out of the museum. Hermione watched until they were gone and then turned back to Harry and Ron.

"What does your team know?" Hermione asked them.

"They know that Kingsley was murdered," Harry replied. "They don't know anything about Asylum.."

"They think we're investigating this on just Harry's suspicion that Kingsley didn't die from natural causes," Ron added. "Which is why we're working here so that no one knows what we're doing. They know the cover story is something was stolen from your museum which is why the outside world will think they are here."

"My team knows everything," Hermione told them. "They're available to help your team with anything you need."

"What could your team do to help?" Ron questioned. "They work in a museum and stare at monitors all day."

"Ron," Harry warned, as Hermione opened her mouth to yell at him.

"What?" Ron continued, ignoring Harry's warning. "Hermione wouldn't even have a team if we had dealt with the Death Eaters three years ago the way we should have."

"Ronald, that is enough!" Hermione shouted. "They can be saved!"

"No, they can't, Hermione," Ron shouted back. "They've already lived three years longer than they should have."

"How can you say that?" Hermione cried. "You haven't seen them over the last few years. They live extraordinarily normal lives. Without their memories, without their prejudice, they are good people."

"You're too close to this," Ron replied. "You can't see them for what they are. They're monsters, Hermione. Monsters that killed my brother. Or did you forget that?"

"No one has forgotten what they've done," Harry said, stepping between Ron and Hermione who had gone from a safe distance apart to nearly nose to nose.

He placed a hand on each of their shoulders and lightly shoved them apart.

"You two can't keep having this fight," Harry continued, looking first at Ron then at Hermione. "We all need to work together to find out who killed Kingsley and to figure out what to do if the Death Eaters get their memories back. Our teams need us to be a unit. Kingsley needs us to be a unit. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Yes," Ron grumbled, refusing to look Hermione in the eye.

"Let's get downstairs," Harry said. "We need to get our teams working."

At that, Hermione, Ron, and Harry walked through the museum and, a few minutes later, joined their teams in Hermione's work space. Harry's team had taken over the two of the desks on the left side of the room and were talking quietly. Hermione noticed that her team was in the process of putting away the artefacts that they had been working on. Everyone looked up when Hermione, Ron and Harry entered the room.

"So," Hermione said to Harry, ignoring Ron. "What do we do?"

"For now, my team will begin by investigating Kingsley himself," Harry told the group. "Hermione, given your team's talents with research, I'll be asking that they help dig into Kingsley's life whenever they have time. We need to figure out who would want him dead."

"My team has worked out shifts that they're going to work in the back with me," Hermione told him. "So they're able and happy to help whenever they aren't on shift."

"What are they doing in the back?" Katie asked curiously.

"We have a couple of temperature and environment sensitive artefacts that we need to take care of so we have a special room where those are housed," Hermione replied, lying smoothly. "They also have to be handled very carefully so we ask that you stay out of that room."

"Fine by me," Seamus chimed in, already bored. "Is there anything else we need to know before we get started?"

"You've all been fully briefed," Harry replied. "Give me a moment and I'll give you individual assignments."

Ron walked away from Ron and Hermione to the group of aurors who had begun to unpack their things and set up a board with all the known information. Hermione held back when she felt Harry grab hold of her wrist. She looked up at him expectantly.

"What's the status of the residents of Asylum?" Harry asked quietly, looking at Hermione.

"So far, there's no sign that any of them remember anything," Hermione replied with a whisper. "Everything is normal."

"Let me know if that changes," Harry told her.

He slid his hand down from her wrist into her hand and gave it a quick squeeze before releasing her and walking over to the group of aurors. Hermione's team hesitantly joined the group after she gave them an encouraging nod. Satisfied that she wasn't needed, Hermione walked quickly into the monitoring room and ensured the door was locked behind her. She turned to see Millicent facing her instead of the monitors.

"How are things out there?" Millicent asked.

"So far so good," Hermione said with a smile. "How are things in here?"

"So far so good," Millicent replied but without returning Hermione's smile. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Hermione told her. "What is it?"

"What are the chances that they recover their memories?" Millicent asked.

Hermione looked at the girl before answering. It had taken them a lot to get to this point, Hermione knew, and for Millicent to trust her. To tell her everything that had happened prior to and during the war. So she was honest.

"They will likely all remember," Hermione replied.

"They'll come for me," Millicent whispered. "As soon as they remember I exist, my parents will come for me."

"We will keep you safe," Hermione told her, fiercely.

She closed the distance between the two of them and took Millicent's shaking hands in her own.

"We will keep you safe," Hermione repeated. "I promise you."

Millicent let out a shaky breath before giving Hermione a small smile. "You Gryffindors think you can save everyone."

Hermione responded with a grin and, releasing Millicents hands, gestured toward the monitors. "Everyone is worth saving."

At that, the two girls sat in companionable silence, watching the monitors, and waiting.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Surprise! Guilt = two chapters in one day! :)

* * *

A week passed quickly but neither group made any progress. Harry's auror team still had no leads and Hermione team, in spite of maintaining constant surveillance, had not noted any difference in the behavior of the residents of Asylum. Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat around the kitchen island on the eighth morning with Ginny bustling around them making breakfast. Harry sat on one side, a mug of coffee in front of him. Hermione and Ron sat on the other side, Hermione with a mug of tea in her hand and Ron with a glass of orange juice in front of him. They'd been sitting there quietly for about 10 minutes while Ginny bustled around the kitchen making breakfast, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Maybe you're wrong, Hermione," Ron said, breaking the silence.

"Ron," Harry said, warningly but Hermione interrupted before Harry could say anything more.

"No, Harry," she cut in. "Let's see what Ron has to say."

"It's been days and nothing has happened," Ron continued. "Maybe you underestimated how strong of a wizard Kingsley was and the memory charms will hold."

"It's possible I suppose," Hermione replied calmly, earning a look of surprise from both Harry and Ron. "But unlikely. The only permanent magic is death. They are very much alive."

"Unfortunately," Ron muttered under his breath.

Hermione's eyes lit with anger and she opened her mouth to shout.

"Enough!" Ginny said, whirling around from the stove where she was scrambling eggs. "I don't want to hear this argument again."

At Ginny's words, Hermione closed her mouth and Ron didn't speak further.

"Even if they don't remember," Harry proceeded cautiously. "Someone still knows about them. We have no idea what that person might do with that information. We can focus our efforts fully on the investigation until something happens."

"Eat," Ginny said, waving her wand and transferring the food to the plates in front of each of them. "You can focus on anything if you're hungry."

"Thank you," Harry told Ginny with a smile, reaching out for Ginny's hand and pulling her to his side.

He gave her a quick kiss as she gave him a hug before grabbing a huge plate of food of her own.

"Hungry, Gin?" Hermione asked with a laugh.

"Starved," Ginny replied, giving her a grin. "I've been so hungry lately."

"All this hard work builds an appetite," Ron said, his mouth full. "Even if we haven't done much."

"You're going to do this," Ginny said confidently, looking first at Harry, then to Ron and Hermione. "After all, you defeated Voldemort together, what could be worse than that?"

With a laugh, they dug into their food. Harry, Ron, and Ginny began to discuss Quidditch and Hermione let her mind wander. Part of her hoped that she was wrong, she mused. The Death Eaters in Asylum lived happy, normal lives and she wanted that to remain for them. But the other part of her knew she was right and she knew that, when their memories returned, they would need to be ready. She had no idea how the residents of Asylum would react and she had no idea how the Ministry would respond but they would find a way to make it work. She would find a way to make it work, Hermione thought confidently. Hermione was drawn out of her thoughts by a patronus in the form of a rabbit hopped into the kitchen. It stopped directly in front of Hermione.

"Wildfire," the voice said and the rabbit disappeared.

Hermione shot up from her seat, nearly upending her plate of food. "We have to go, NOW!" she exclaimed.

"What's happ-?" Ginny started to ask, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already shot out of the kitchen.

The three rushed out of the back door of Grimmauld Place into the backyard. Before Harry or Ron could ask, Hermione apparated away.

"The museum, I'm assuming?" Ron asked.

"Guessing so," Harry replied.

"What do you think it is?" Ron queried.

"Bad," Harry answered. "Very bad."

At that, the two apparated away and reappeared in the back alley of the museum. Hermione was standing by the door, tapping her foot. When she saw them, she laid her palm on the panel that appeared next to the door. A blue light appeared that scanned her palm.

"Get over here," she snapped.

Harry and Ron dashed over.

"Palms, next to mine, now," she ordered.

The boys did as they were told. As soon as they placed their hands on the panel it lit blue again and the boys received a quick stab of pain in their hand.

"Hermione, what the hell?" Ron cried, pulling his hand away as a door appeared and slid open.

"It takes a small blood sample," Hermione told them, ushering the two boys through the door. "To ensure that it's you."

"Bloody hell," was Ron's only response.

Hermione went to move down the narrow, brightly lit hallway they'd entered when Harry grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Hermione, what is wildfire?" Harry asked, looking at her. "What does that mean?"

"It means there's been a death," Hermione told them. "More than one.

"Wildfire is the emergency signal that can only be triggered from within the town," Hermione replied, impatiently.

"But what does it mean?" Harry pushed. "What kind of emergency?"

"It means there's been a death," Hermione said, pulling her arm away from Harry's. "More than one."

At that, she turned and moved quickly down the hall. Harry and Ron stood in place for a moment, stunned by not only the fact that someone had died but also that Hermione had, at some point, installed an alarm within the town. Realizing that Hermione had disappeared completely, the two moved quickly down the hall and, a minute later, found themselves in the control room. Hermione's team was scrambling around her, files in hand, as they rushed to the conference table. Hermione stood calmly in front of the monitors, her eyes scanning every single one. Harry and Ron moved quietly and sat at the table with her team, who were anxiously awaiting instruction. Hermione turned around.

"What do we know?" she asked authoritatively.

"About 10 minutes ago, Wildfire was triggered," Dennis told her. "Susan and I were watching the monitors when it came through."

"What did you see?" Hermione questioned.

"Nothing," Dennis replied.

Hermione looked to Susan, who nodded in confirmation. "Everything looked normal."

"You're certain?" Hermione asked, sharply. "You saw nothing?"

"Nothing," Dennis repeated. "All the Death Eaters are accounted for as far as we can tell."

"Well the signal didn't go off on its own," Hermione replied, frustrated. "There has to have been something."

"How exactly does 'wildfire' work?" Ron asked.

"When we first placed the Death Eaters in Asylum, we knew they would need a means of contacting us," Hermione explained. "They were told that if anything were ever to go wrong and they didn't feel prepared to handle it, they could go to the northwest corner of the town and place a message in a tree there. It would come to us here and we would deal with whatever happened as it came up."

"So someone stuck a note in a tree so now we're freaking out?" Ron questioned, raising one eyebrow. "Really?"

"If there was an emergency, a true emergency," Hermione continued, ignoring Ron. "They were to write 'wildfire' on that slip of paper and place it in the tree."

"Well you have the entire place monitored, don't you?" Harry asked. "Can't you just look at see who walked up to the tree?"

"We don't have that area monitored," Hermione answered with a grimace. "We're using a mix of muggle technology and magic, it has it's limits and unfortunately we have blind spots. We can see everything that happens in the town but some parts, like where that tree is, we just can't see."

"So what are you going to do?" Ron asked.

Hermione looked around at her team before returning her gaze to Harry and Ron. "We're going to go in."

"In?!" Ron shouted, his eyes bulging out of his head. "You're going to go in there?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Dennis asked, confused. "She goes in every month."

"WHAT?!" Harry and Ron exclaimed in unison.

"Oops," Dennis said.

Hermione winced.

Ron opened his mouth to shout again but Harry cast a quick silencio to stop him.

"Every month?" Harry asked, calmly. "You go every month?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, defensively. "They need someone to help them and so I go."

"What do you do?" Harry questioned, shooting a quick petrificus totalus at Ron who'd begun punching Harry in the arm. "What do you do when you're there?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Hermione answered, feeling relieved that at least Harry was taking this well.

"We'll hold down the fort here," Millicent offered.

"And we can remove the spells on Ron once you're gone," Dennis chimed in. "Send him out into the work space with the rest of the auror team."

"Thank you," Hermione said, gratefully. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

With an apologetic look to Ron, Hermione and Harry left the room the same way that they'd entered. They walked down the hallway and into the back alley behind the museum.

"So how do we get there?" Harry asked. "I remember when we first set it up we put up a huge anti-apparition barrier as well as tons of charms to keep it hidden."

"We fly," Hermione said, her face splitting into a wide grin at the almost comical look of surprise on Harry's face.

"Fly?" Harry repeated. "Like, on a broom? YOU fly on a broom?"

"I've gotten quite good," Hermione replied, still grinning. "Unfortunately, I only have my broom."

"Is it big enough for both of us?" Harry asked. "Otherwise I can pop home and grab mine."

"You tell me," Hermione answered.

She walked over to a garbage bin that was next to the door. She reached behind it and pulled out a small bag. Harry watched as she reached in the bag and pulled out a brand new, Firebolt 4000.

"Hermione," Harry whispered reverently. "How?"

"Oliver Wood," she replied, smiling. "He gave me flying lessons and helped me pick a broom. Will this work?"

Harry let out the breath he didn't even realize he was holding."Yeah," he said, with a small laugh. "Yeah, that'll work."

Hermione climbed onto the broom and Harry climbed on behind her.

"Hold on!" she told him.

With ease, Hermione kicked off the ground and they were on their way. Not 20 minutes later, Hermione descended into a field on the edge of a forest.

"We have to walk from here," Hermione said, after they'd dismounted and she'd stowed the broom in her bag. "This is as close as we can get."

They walked for another 15 minutes before they came upon what looked to be a dilapidated shack.

Hermione walked into the shack, with Harry following close behind her. The only light was the light from outside and Harry noticed more than a few spider webs. Probably better Ron wasn't the one who came, he thought to himself. Hermione moved to the fireplace and tapped three of the bricks on the left side, followed by one brick on the right side. The wall to their left dissolved, revealing a tunnel. Harry followed Hermione down the tunnel to a wooden door at the end. Hermione pushed the door open and they found themselves in a cellar. They climbed a flight of stairs and found themselves in an old, abandoned house.

"Who designed this?" Harry asked. "It reminds me of the shrieking shack."

"I did," Hermione replied, with a laugh. "And that's exactly what I had in mind when I created it."

"So what am I walking into?" Harry asked curiously.

With a sigh, Hermione gestured for him to follow her. "Come into the kitchen," she told him. "I'll fill you in."

Harry followed her warily through the house. It really did look like it could collapse at any moment, he mused. But he was surprised to find the kitchen was nothing like the rest of the house. It was spacious, clean, and filled with light. A small breakfast nook was tucked off to one side.

"Wow," Harry said. "This is great."

"It's the only completed room in the house," Hermione told him. "I come here sometimes after I finish a visit to decompress and I found myself always wanting tea. So I gave myself somewhere I could do that."

Hermione moved through the kitchen and sat down in the breakfast nook. Harry sat across from her and looked at her expectantly.

"As you know, running this was left entirely up to me," Hermione began. "So keep in mind that I did this alone and what I've done is what I thought was right at the time. And still think is right today."

"Okay?" Harry replied, warily. "Hermione, you're worrying me. Just tell me."

"When they first arrived here, they were confused," Hermione continued. "They had no idea who they were, where they'd come from, and what they were doing here. Everyone was given a file. A file that contained everything they needed to know about who they were. Who was related to who, who had lived with who, and the like."

Hermione paused and took a breath before pushing forward.

"We had a group meeting, the Death Eaters and I in the town hall. I told them that there had been a war, that they'd been victims of that war, and that, due to a dark wizard, they didn't have their memories any more."

"Merlin," Harry breathed. "Hermione, why did you tell them that?"

"Because it was the truth," she said, with a shrug. "There was a war, so many of them felt like victims to me, especially the kids who were our age. They were victims of their parents decisions. Their parents were victims of falling under the spell of Voldemort and, because they'd supported him, they didn't have their memories."

When Harry didn't say anything in response, she continued. "I told them that they were in this small village for their own protection. People from the other side of the war wanted them dead and so they'd been brought here where they could live peacefully and be safe."

"So they have no idea who they were? What they did?" Harry answered.

"No," Hermione replied. "They don't know what they believed. The word Voldemort means nothing here."

There was silence between them for a few moments before Harry spoke.

"What are they like?" he asked, curiously. "Without their prejudice, without the burden of the war, what are they like?"

"If I said they're wonderfully kind people, I'd be lying," Hermione said, wryly. "It's extraordinary how much of their personalities they retained even without their memories. But they are better."

"Is there anything else I should know?" Harry asked. "Before you take me in there?"

"I don't think so," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "I wish I could have shown you the files they were given, that's what my team was collecting in the control room, but there wasn't any time."

"I'll be fine," Harry reassured her. "Let's get in there and figure out who raised the alarm."

Hermione and Harry rose from the table and Hermione led him through the house. She stopped at the front door and turned to him, her hand on the doorknob.

"Ready?"

Harry nodded in response and Hermione opened the door.

* * *

A/N: Bum, bum, buuuuuum. Next chapter, ASYLUM!


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: I have job interviews (ahhhh) so I won't be able to post a new chapter on Thursday SO you get it today!

* * *

Harry walked through the door and took a moment to absorb what was before him. The town looked just like Diagon Alley, he thought, with a smile. There were shops that lined the main street, with rows of houses on both sides behind the main street. A large, white stone building stood proudly at what he assumed was likely the center of the town. Beyond the houses there was nothing but a sea of green from the trees that completely surrounded the town.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked, nervously.

"It's wonderful," Harry replied, in awe.

"Come on," Hermione said, leading him down the stairs of the house. "We need to visit the mayor."

"The mayor?" Harry asked, walking beside her as she walked briskly down the street.

"Yes," Hermione replied. "I set them up with their own little government."

"Of course you did," Harry said, with a laugh. "So who did you make mayor?"

"They just had elections last week," Hermione told him. "I appointed the first mayor, this one they picked all on their own."

"So who did they choose?" Harry wanted to know.

Hermione stopped walking and looked at Harry.

"What?" Harry asked. "Who is it?"

"Malfoy," Hermione told him, watching as the look of shock crossed his face. "Draco Malfoy."

Harry stood for a moment, his mouth hanging open, as Hermione laughed.

"Come on," she said, companionably as she linked her arm through his and started to pull him down the street. "I can't wait for you two to meet."

Harry allowed himself to be dragged down the street as he tried to process the fact that his childhood nemesis was now the head of the small town. They only made it about 20 feet before one of the doors of the homes directly across the street opened. Harry watched as Blaise Zabini stepped out. Blaise made his way over to the pair.

"Blaise, how are you?" Hermione asked, cheerfully as he approached. "Meet my friend, Harry!"

"I need to talk to you," Blaise said, looking at Hermione. "Now."

Hermione dropped the friendly tone and immediately became all business.

"Wildfire?" she asked.

Blaise nodded tightly and the three quickly crossed the street. Blaise led them through his home to a back office. He locked the doors and cast a silencing charm. Blaise gestured for them to sit in the two chairs in front of his desk. Blaise stood awkwardly next to them, making no move to sit in the chair on the other side of the desk.

"Blaise, what's going on?" Hermione asked. "What's happened?"

Instead of answering, Blaise began to pace.

"Come on, mate," Harry tried. "You can tell us what's going on."

"Don't call me, mate, Potter," Blaise snapped.

"Sorry, sorry," Harry replied, putting his hands up.

"You remember," Hermione said, quietly with a look of horror and awe on her face.

"What?" Blaise said, his head whipping so his eyes pierced into Hermione's.

"You remember," Hermione said, louder this time. "You know."

A look of surprise crossed over Blaise's face before he dropped into the chair behind his desk. He took a key from around his neck and unlocked the top right drawer. From it, he pulled a small, white envelope.

"Here," Blaise told her. "You should read this first."

Hermione frowned but took the envelope from him without a word. She flipped it over and noticed the seal of the Minister of Magic. She ripped the envelope open and removed a one page letter from it. She sat quietly for a minute reading. Harry tried to see what it said but Hermione was holding the letter too close to her body for him to see. Hermione lowered the letter and that's when Harry noticed she had tears falling from her eyes.

"What does it say, Hermione?" Harry asked, concerned.

Without a word, Hermione handed the letter to Harry. He took it from her and immediately recognized Kingsley Shacklebolt's handwriting. With a breath, he read:

Dear Hermione,

I must first apologize for choosing this way of communicating with you. If you're being given this letter, it means without a doubt that I never told you myself what I did when I wiped the memories of the Death Eaters. For that, I am sorry.

You should know that I never believed that the Death Eaters were unable to be rehabilitated. But as Minister, my own opinion alone is insufficient. I had to do what was best for our society as a whole. This seemed like the best thing to do. I fear, however, that, because my full heart isn't in doing this that my spell may be weak. You, of course, will likely already know that casting in succession weakens a spell as well. The combination thereof means that there's a possibility that every single one of them may regain their memories. Because of that, I have left you a safety in place. If you'll recall, Mr. Zabini was the last person to be obliviated. I now confess to you that I gave him a choice. He chose wisely and can now fill you in on the rest.

You are their best hope, Hermione. Don't let them down.

My very best,

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Harry looked up from the letter and exhaled deeply. He looked at Hermione, who was looking at Blaise, who was staring at the letter.

"Tell me," Hermione said, quietly. "Tell me what happened that day and everything that's happened since."

Blaise took a breath and look back and forth from Hermione to Harry and back.

"My family remained neutral for most of the war," Blaise began. "It wasn't until towards the end that, because they had a son in Slytherin, my family was forced into joining the war. The night before the final battle, Lord Voldemort had decided that I needed to fight. My parents never wanted me to be a part of it so they tried to argue."

Blaise paused for a moment, lost in his memories. Hermione and Harry sat quietly, waiting. He continued.

"There was no arguing with Lord Voldemort though. He killed them both, right in front of my eyes. Then he killed my little sister. She was 7. He gave me a choice, fight or die. So I fought and was arrested with the rest of them."

"We didn't know that," Harry said, defensively. "You should have told us, we could have pardoned you."

"I made my choice," Blaise replied, bitterly. "I lived with it. And I didn't have anyone to be on the outside for."

"So what happened with Kingsley?" Hermione asked.

"I found myself facing another choice," Blaise said, with a half laugh. "I could lose all my memories, all my pain, and get a fresh start obliviated in some tiny town outside London or I could serve as a keeper of sorts. So I made another choice. And here we are."

"Why not chose obliviation?" Hermione wanted to know. "You would have certainly been happier."

"At the time, I felt I deserved all the pain I was in and all the horrible memories," Blaise replied, with a shrug. "Now I'm grateful just to know who I am, where I came from, and what's happened."

"So why wildfire?" Harry chimed in. "Why now?"

"A couple of them are starting to get their memories back," Blaise told them. "They're getting little flickers of memories when they're awake - deja vu. Some are starting to dream about the war."

"How do you know this?" Harry questioned.

"Didn't you see the sign on the door when you walked in?" Blaise asked, with a raise eyebrow. "I'm the town shrink."

"You?" Harry replied, in disbelief. "With what qualifications?"

"They've all had training in areas that were deemed safe and appropriate for the town," Hermione answered. "It was the only part of the process Kingsley participated in."

Hermione looked to Blaise. "He was adamant that you should be the psychiatrist."

"He thought it was the best way for me to keep track of everyone," Blaised told her. "Everyone is required to come to weekly counseling since they're 'victims of war' as you so eloquently called them. So everyone talks to me."

"What have you told them?" Harry asked.

"Initially I didn' realize what it was," Blaise admitted. "So I told them that they should ease off the booze and switch to nonfiction books. But my most recent patient recovered a full memory in a dream and as soon as she left, I sounded the alarm."

"Who was it?" Hermione asked.

"Pansy Parkinson," Blaise replied.

"What did she remember?" Harry wanted to know.

"Something from when we were kids," Blaise told them, avoiding meeting either of their gazes.

"What was it, Blaise?" Hermione asked. "We need to know."

"We'd been playing on the Parkinson estate when we found a puppy," Blaise said, continuing to avoid eye contact. "It couldn't have been more than two days old. We took it to Pansy's house. We cleaned it up, fed it, and we were playing with it when Pansy's father came home. He took the puppy from us and made us watch as he drowned it in the pond out back."

"Merlin," Harry breathed. "Hell of a memory to recover. What did you tell her?"

"That she'd been reading too many of those sappy muggle novels and they had caused her to have that dream," Blaise answered. "That seemed to pacify her."

"Who else is remembering?" Hermione questioned.

"Theo Nott, Greg Goyle, and Marcus Flint have all mentioned to me having weird moments of deja vu or very vivid dreams," Blaise replied. "None of the older generation seem to be remembering anything yet."

"Anyone else?" Hermione pressed.

"If you mean Draco, I have no idea," Blaise told her. "He's not one to talk. He's not the only one."

"He'd be the most dangerous one to have remember," Hermione answered. "You need to keep an eye on him. Who else won't talk to you?"

"Some of the 'elders' as they call themselves," Blaise replied with a roll of his eyes. "They're not a problem though, Draco would be."

"Why him?" Harry asked.

"Mayor," Blaise pointed out. "Nearly unanimously elected to replace his own father. He has the whole town backing him. Who knows what would happen if everyone got their memories back and a Malfoy was at the head of that."

"Voldemort 2.0," Harry said with a grimace. "Fuck."

"Exactly," Hermione said. "We should visit with him while we're here."

"I think we're done here and I know he's home, you could pop over," Blaise told them.

"Not coming?" Harry asked. "Is he not your best mate in this world?"

Blaise gave Hermione a look which she pointedly ignored. Blaise grinned. "No, no, I think I'll pass this time," he replied. "You two go ahead."

"Coward," Hermione muttered. "Come on, Harry, let's go."

Blaise's laughter followed them as they walked out of the study.

"What's he laughing at?" Harry wanted to know, looking confused.

"Malfoy and I don't exactly get along," Hermione admitted. "Blaise has seen us nearly come to blows more than once."

"Even memory-wiped Malfoy is a prat?" Harry asked. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"He's infuriating," Hermione confirmed. "Just try not to lose your cool."

"I'll be fine," Harry said with a raised eyebrow.

"I wasn't talking to you," Hermione replied. "I was reminding myself."

A minute later, they reached the door of the largest house in the town. A giant snake served as the knocker for the front door.

"Ridiculous," Hermione mumbled under her breath as she raised her hand to the knocker. Before she could use it, though, the door swung open and Pansy Parkinson flew out the door and smacked directly into Harry, knocking him over.

"Pansy!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry!" Pansy cried, disentangling herself from Harry. She reached a hand down and helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Harry told her, straightening his glasses. "Don't worry about it."

"Hello Pansy," Hermione said. "Meet my friend Harry."

"Hello, Harry," Pansy purred, looking him up and down appreciatively. "Any friend of Hermione's is a friend of mine."

Harry felt his eyebrows shoot up. "Hi?" he stammered.

"Pansy," Hermione said, in a warning tone.

Pansy laughed and threw her arms around Hermione in a hug. "He's cute," Pansy whispered in Hermione's ear.

Hermione rolled her eyes and returned the hug. "He's married," Hermione told Pansy. "Control yourself."

"Well you'll have to let me know if that changes," Pansy said, leering at Harry.

"Okay," Hermione said, stepping into Pansy's line of view and waving her hand in front of Pansy's face. "Is Malfoy home?"

"He's working," Pansy said with a roll of her eyes. "So I'm off to find Blaise."

"He's home" Hermione provided. "We just came from his place."

"Wonderful!" Pansy replied. "See you around!"

Pansy strutted away from the Malfoy home while Hermione watched amused and Harry just stared.

"Still with me?" Hermione asked, laughter dancing in her eyes.

"What. Was. That?" Harry asked.

"That was a Pansy tornado," Hermione replied with a grin. "She's a lot."

"That's an understatement," Harry said, running his right hand through his hair. "Merlin."

"Come on," Hermione told him. " I only have two things to say to him. Let's get this over with."

Hermione let herself into the house and called out, "Malfoy!"

"Library," came a distant response.

Hermione walked over to the grand staircase in the center of the entryway and walked up the double staircase with Harry close behind her. After a series of turns that confused the hell out of Harry, he found himself in an enormous library. The walls were covered in dark wood bookshelves and there were rows of freestanding bookshelves made of the same wood. In the center of the room was a desk as well as several plush chairs. Draco Malfoy sat behind the desk wearing a slate gray suit with a white shirt and a green striped tie.

"Granger," Draco greeted without looking up. "It's been less than a month, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Draco, I want you to meet a friend of mine," Hermione said pleasantly. "This is my friend, Harry."

Draco raised his head and seized up Harry. "Whatever you brought him for, we don't need him." Draco told her.

"I simply brought him to see the town," Hermione replied, trying to avoid showing her agitation at his response.

"You didn't answer my question," Draco said, rising from his chair and walking around the desk. He leaned up against it and Hermione moved further into the room.

"There's a concern," Hermione told him. "About the safety of our people here."

"My people," Draco replied, sharply. "You're not one of us Granger, don't forget that."

"We aren't having this conversation again," Hermione answered, through gritted teeth, her brown eyes boring into his. "I care about them just as much as you do. Will you please listen to what I have to say?"

"Say it," Draco told her, his eyes never leaving hers. "Then get the hell out."

"Why don't we all sit down?" Harry said, trying to defuse the suffocating tension in the room.

Hermione and Draco's heads' snapped in Harry's direction and Harry realized they'd forgotten he was there.

"Of course, please sit," Draco said, smoothly. "I apologize, Harry was it? Miss. Granger has a tendency to make me forget basic manners."

"I didn't know you had basic manners," Hermione replied sweetly, sliding into one of the chairs.

Draco glared at her as he too sat in one of the chairs. Harry took the third chair slid it so they were sitting in a triangle.

"Talk, Granger," Draco said, rudely. "I don't have all day."

"As I said, there is a safety concern." Hermione replied, with restrained agitation. "We believe that someone has discovered that the town exists."

"Big deal," Draco replied, feigning a yawn of boredom. "You have us under so many enchantments here no one could ever find us. Who is it that knows we're here?"

"We don't know" Hermione admitted and Draco snorted in response.

"Wow, Granger, that's brilliant," he jeered. "That will make them easy to defend against them."

"Just listen!" Hermione shouted, losing her temper. "For fucks sake Malfoy, you're all in danger! If someone manages to find this places, manages to find you, you could all be killed!"

"Or freed," Draco countered. "Perhaps that's what you're most afraid of. That we may actually get the hell out of this prison."

"You are here for your own protection," Hermione shot back. "You know that."

"So you say," Draco replied, just as quickly. "The great Granger saves the poor forgotten citizens. Maybe you can get a newspaper write up!"

"I'll tell you what's going to go up," Hermione seethed in response. "My fist into your face!"

"WOAH!" Harry exclaimed, jumping out of his chair when Hermione and Draco both leapt to their feet towards one another. "Sit down! Both of you!"

For a long minute, Harry was genuinely concerned they may just hit through him but with a light shove, he managed to separate them and they sat back down in their chairs.

"Now," Harry said, taking control of the conversation. "Mr. Malfoy, there is a real threat to the safety of your and your people. Yes, we can't tell you who and we can't tell you why, but what we can tell you is that you need to take precautions to keep your people safe."

"Very well," Draco replied, picking a non-existent piece of lint off his suit jacket. "I'll have Greg handle it. He's the sheriff."

Harry smothered his own reaction to finding out Greg Goyle was the sheriff of the town. "Very well, now I believe that there is something else Hermione has to say. So you need to just listen Mr. Malfoy."

"Fine," Draco said.

Harry looked at Hermione. "Explain, NICELY."

"Fine," Hermione agreed.

She took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking. "The other concern we have is that some people are not attending therapy with Blaise."

Draco opened his mouth to comment but a look from Harry silenced him.

"It's important that everyone who is here keep that weekly appointment," Hermione continued. "To ensure everyone is doing well. That includes you, Malfoy."

"No," Draco replied simply. "I don't see a need for me to go and if there are others who feel the same way, I'd imagine that they should have the freedom to make that choice."

"You're impossible!" Hermione said, exasperated. "They'll go if you go, you all need to go!"

"No," Draco repeated. "Is there anything else?"

"Why won't you go?" Harry chimed in, looking at Draco directly.

"It's a waste of time," Draco told him. "I don't need to go."

"Scared, Malfoy?" Harry asked, quietly.

"Absolutely not!" Draco replied, angrily. "Is that what you think?"

"If you're not scared, you have no reason not to go," Harry told him amiably. "And if you go, others will follow suit. It seems to me that you're a hell of a leader."

Draco stared at Harry suspiciously for a moment while Hermione held her breath.

"Fine," Draco replied. "I'll go. And I'll encourage the others to go. On one condition."

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"No more surprise visits," Draco requested, looking directly at Hermione. "I want to be informed when you come."

"Well," Hermione said, pensively. "Okay."

"Okay?" Draco repeated, looking at her in disbelief? "Okay?"

"Yes," Hermione snapped. "Take it or leave it."

"Done," Draco said, rising from his chair.

Harry and Hermione rose as well.

"You can see yourselves out," Draco told them, walking into the depths of the library.

In silence, Harry and Hermione walked out of Draco's house and back to Hermione's. Once they were inside, Hermione put on the kettle and they sat in the breakfast nook.

"Well, that was an experience," Harry said with a half laugh.

"I was handed blank slates. I did the best that I could with them." Hermione said defensively.

"No, no, Hermione, you misunderstood," Harry told her, kindly. "You did an amazing job here."

"Thanks," Hermione replied, with a smile."At least now we know Blaise is on the inside."

"How did you know Blaise remembered?" Harry wanted to know.

"He called you Potter," Hermione replied. "I'd made a point of only introducing you as Harry and he called you by your surname."

"I didn't even notice," Harry admitted. "Suppose that's why you're the bright one."

"Brightest," Hermione said, with a wink.

The kettle whistled and Hermione got up. She poured the tea and the two sat quietly sipping their tea.

"It's amazing how similar Malfoy, Parkinson, and Zabini are to their old selves," Harry murmured. "You take away their memories, their prejudices, and their personalities still survive."

"Unfortunately in Malfoy's case," Hermione said, dryly. "Merlin, he pisses me off!"

"You piss him off too," Harry told her. "That much was evident about 5 seconds into that meeting."

"We just can't see eye to eye," Hermione replied with a sigh. "He seems me as an outsider, some sort of oppressor. I'm just trying to help."

"You are helping," Harry answered. "They wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for you."

Harry drank down the last of his tea before rising and washing out the cup. Hermione did the same and, when the kitchen was clean, Harry smiled at Hermione. "Let's get back to the museum. We have a lot to fill Ron in on."

"Sounds good," Hermione replied.

She did one last scan of the kitchen before following Harry out of the room.

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A/N: Man, I'm really bad at keeping chapters consistent lengths. Review, favorite, follow! :)

Also, I accidentally wrote a one shot the other day that's completely unrelated to this story - do I post it now or wait until this story is done? let me know your thoughts on that as well.


	7. Chapter 6

Back at the museum, Hermione and Harry pulled Ron aside to fill him in on everything that had happened while they'd been gone. After he'd been filled in and apologies were exchanged, the trio split, with Hermione going into the control room to talk to her team and Harry and Ron to the aurors so Harry could be updated on their progress.

Hermione walked into the control room to find her full team there waiting for her.

"Well?" Dennis asked, eagerly. "We saw that you talked to Zabini, Parkinson, and Malfoy, what did you find out?"

Hermione quickly filled her team in on everything that had happened, including the fact that Blaise had never been obliviated.

"How is he?" Millicent asked, looking curiously at Hermione.

"He's well," Hermione told her, surprised that Millicent was asking about him.

"Good," Millicent replied. "He was always nice."

"So what do we do now?" Susan asked.

"Now that we know for sure that some of them are getting their memories back and we know who at least some of them are, we need to keep track of those people and see at what rate they're regaining their memory and what they're remembering. We're going to have to rely heavily on Blaise to point us in the right direction of who to keep an eye on," Hermione explained.

"Can we really trust him?" Dennis wanted to know.

"Yes," Hermione said confidently. "I trust him."

"Then we do too," Padma replied, giving Dennis a look.

"What will we do once they remember?" Susan questioned.

"We'll assess that on a case by case basis," Hermione answered smoothly. "For now though, we just continue to monitor and keep a closer eye on those who we know are starting to remember. Any other questions?

They all shook their head no and Hermione left them to find Ron and Harry. She entered the work space to find the entire team of Aurors frantically searching through the case files they'd brought with them.

Hermione walked over to Harry who was overseeing the process with a grim look on his face.

"What's going on?"she asked.

"Kingsley's wand is missing," Harry said, his voice strained.

Hermione's eyes widened in response. "Wait, what? What do you mean it's missing?"

"That's the last of it," Ron called out before Harry could answer, tossing away a box of evidence in disgust. "It's not here."

"Shit, shit, shit," Harry muttered under his breath. "Okay, let's go to Kinsley's house. We search it top to bottom. No one goes anywhere until we have that wand."

"Do you want anyone from my team to help?" Hermione asked. "They're all here but I don't need all of them at once."

"Yes," Harry replied. "The more people the better."

Hermione walked quickly into the control room.

"Who's on the monitors right now?" she asked.

"I am," Dennis told her. "But Millicent is taking over in 10 minutes."

"Switch now," Hermione ordered. "Susan and Dennis, I want the two of you to go with the auror team to Kingsley's house. His wand is missing."

"What?" Padma exclaimed. "How?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied. "But right now, priority number 1 is finding that wand."

"Why?" Dennis asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because if it was taken by the person who killed him, then we are in a great deal of trouble," Hermione told him sharply. "Only the wand that placed the memory charm can remove the charm. If the killer has it he could remove the memory charms from the Death Eaters in Asylum and then all hell will break loose."

"Merlin," Dennis replied, his eyes wide.

"Go," Hermione said. "They're leaving now."

Dennis and Susan began to gather their things to leave.

"Hermione, if you want to go as well, Millicent and I will be fine here," Padma said. "We can send a patronus if anything happens."

"That's a good idea," Hermione replied with a smile. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"We'll be fine," Millicent confirmed. "They could use your help more than we could."

"Okay, let's go," Hermione said, making sure she had everything she needed.

Together, Hermione, Susan, and Dennis joined the aurors in the work area.

"We're ready," Hermione said to Harry.

Harry didn't question that Hermione was coming, merely nodded.

"The Portkey is set to go in 30 seconds," Harry told them, holding a Hufflepuff tie. "Everyone hold on."

Everyone reached for a piece of the tie and, a few seconds later, Hermione felt the familiar tug of the Portkey. Seconds later, the group dropped immediately in front of Kingsley's house. Harry moved the crime scene tape aside and ushered everyone inside.

"I want everyone to take a room," Harry instructed. "Once you're finished searching your room, call out and we'll switch rooms and search them again. We need to find that wand."

At his words, everyone dispersed throughout the house. Four hours later, they regrouped in Kingsley's living room, hungry, dirty, and exhausted.

"It's not here, mate," Ron said, rubbing his growling stomach. "And I'm starving."

"Everyone go home," Harry told them. "Be back at the museum first thing tomorrow morning."

"Colin and Susan, you can head home until your next shift in the lab," Hermione said.

"We'll go home, shower, and then come back," Susan told her. "We'll bring dinner."

"That would be great," Hermione replied, smiling at her. "Thank you."

Everyone exited the house, leaving Hermione, Harry and Ron in the living room.

"We're fucked," Harry said, as soon as the others were gone. "Completely and royally fucked."

"Whoever it is still has to find them," Hermione pointed out. "That gives us time. We can go and set up additional protections."

"How many more protections are there?" Ron asked incredulously. "We put up all the ones we knew when we set the place up!"

"Patrols," Hermione suggested.

"The only problem with that is no one can get close enough to patrol," Ron pointed out.

"They can," Hermione replied. "The residents of Asylum.. They can set up their own patrols."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Harry said, thoughtfully. "And it would make them feel like they were doing something to protect themselves. Malfoy ought to like that."

"Bloody hell, since when do we care what Malfoy likes?" Ron asked.

"Since I have to work with him," Hermione told him. "It's the only way."

"Do it," Harry told her. "Go, talk to Malfoy, get them to do it."

"Okay," Hermione replied. "I'll write him and let him know that I'm coming."

"That's something, at least," Harry said. "I just wish we could find that damn wand."

"What about a locator spell?" Ron asked. "Then we could just go get it."

"That only works on people," Hermione told him, rolling her eyes. "Did you pay attention at all in school? You can't use it to find objects."

"Actually, George has been working on something at the shop," Ron replied. "Angelina keeps losing her keys, her watch, and last week she lost her wallet. So George has some charm that he created so she can find it when she loses it."

"Does it actually work?" Harry asked. "Because if it does, that could save us."

"I don't know if he's actually tested it," Ron admitted. "But we can ask him."

"We'll go to George," Harry decided. "We'll see if he can help us. You go talk to Malfoy and get their patrols set up. Let's do it now."

"Umm, Harry? Now?" Hermione said with a laugh, gesturing to their dirty clothes. "Maybe a shower and food first."

"Right," Harry answered, laughing as well. "Okay, clean up, then go. Once we're done, we meet back up at the museum. Sounds good?"

"Sounds good," Hermione and Ron replied.

With the plan in place, the trio split. Two hours later, Hermione walked back into the museum, clean, fed and ready to deal with Draco. She'd kill him with kindness she decided and show him that she was the bigger person. She went up to her office and pulled a seemingly normal journal from the bookshelf behind her desk. She tore a page out of it and quickly scribbled "I'm coming shortly." With a flick of her wand, the paper disappeared in a poof of green flames. A moment later a small green poof appeared again, letting her know that the paper had reached it's intended destination, Draco's desk. Sure, she could have sent it directly to him, but she figured this way she could potentially still catch him off guard but she still did what she'd promised. And she preferred to catch him off guard if she was being honest with herself. It was petty, she knew, but also satisfying. On her way out, she popped into the control room and, satisfied that everyone was fine, she made her way outside.

In just under an hour later, she was back in front of Draco's door. She raised the knocker and knocked twice. When there was no response, she knocked three more times. Two minutes later, a disheveled Draco Malfoy appeared in the doorway wearing nothing but silk pajama pants riding low on his hips. His hair was sticking up on one side and his face. Well if looks could kill, Hermione would have been dead.

"Granger it is nearly 1 in the morning," he growled. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Hermione said, pleasantly. "I apologize for the hour but it was urgent."

"Why the hell didn't you write me to tell me you were coming?" Draco demanded. "We had an agreement."

"I did write you," Hermione replied, innocently. "Sent it straight to your desk. Didn't you get it?"

"No," he said, scowling.

Hermione smiled cheerily as Draco glared at her.

"Are you going to invite me in?" she asked.

She could tell from the look on his face he was seriously contemplating shutting the door in her face.

"Please, Draco," she tried again, using his first name to soften him up. "It's important."

"Fine," Draco said grudgingly.

He turned around without another word and Hermione followed him through the house into a living room. He threw himself onto the couch and looked at her expectantly. Hermione took a seat in the chair adjacent to the couch.

"Well?" he drawled. "What is it? Have you figured out who the threat is?"

"We still don't know who the threat is," Hermione conceded, ignoring Draco's smirk at her response. "But there's a very real chance that they'll come here and they'll hurt every single person here."

Draco's smirk disappeared from his face. "How?"

Hermione stopped for a moment to think of how to explain it to Draco without revealing too much. Finally, she settled on the closest thing to the truth she could think of. "He has the wand of the wizard who helped create this place."

"So we'll set up patrols," Draco told her.

Hermione's jaw dropped in surprise.

"What?" he asked, agitated. "Surprised that I came up with such a good idea."

"No," Hermione retorted. "That was the idea I had; that's why I was coming to talk to you. To tell you to set it up."

"Well, well, well, Granger" he replied, raising an elegant eyebrow. "Have we finally found common ground?"

"We've always had common ground, Malfoy," she reminded him, with a small smile. "Our people?"

Draco's entire body stiffened at her words. "They aren't OUR people," he snapped. "They are MY people."

"WHY do you insist on being so stubborn?" Hermione snapped back. "I care about them just as much as you do."

"You don't give a shit about anyone here," he retorted. "I know your type."

"My type?" she shouted, enraged. "What type is that?"

"The save-the-world type," Draco shouted back, rising from the couch and standing above Hermione. "It doesn't matter who it is, if they're helpless or pathetic or trapped in a fucking prison you just HAVE to help them."

"So what?" Hermione yelled, jumping to her feet. Draco was nearly a full foot taller than her but she got up in his face as close as she could. "Being a good person isn't a bad thing! Wanting to help people isn't a bad thing!"

"We don't need or want your help," Draco raged, bringing his face closer to hers. "You're an outsider, Granger. You're not one of us."

"I'm not trying to be one of you, you oaf!" Hermione shouted, moving in even closer. "I'm just trying to help you."

She could see the blue mixed in with the silver in his eyes. She could feel his heavy breath as it came out of his nose is short bursts. She watched as his tongue shot out of his mouth and licked his lips.

"Back off, Granger," he whispered.

"Screw you, Malfoy," she whispered back.

Hermione placed her hand on his chest to shove him away but instead found her hand clasped in his larger one. They stayed there, close, glaring into each other's eyes with their mouths a breath apart. Then, as suddenly as they'd ended up together, they pulled themselves apart.

"Anything else?" Draco asked, his voice sounding strained.

"No," Hermione replied, staring at him.

Draco gave her a brisk nod before walking out of the room. Hermione exhaled as soon as he was out of the room and placed over her hand over her beating heart. What the hell was that? She thought to herself, still slightly dazed. Checking her watch, she realized it was now just after 1:30 in the morning. She was tired, she reasoned. She should go home. She walked out of Draco's home and headed straight for her own home. As soon as she got home she dropped into bed but found that, even though she was exhausted, she couldn't sleep. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Draco. Little did she know, he was having the same problem. It was exhaustion, they both reasoned. Not attraction that had let them to be within centimeters of kissing. But when they both finally fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, they were thinking of each other.

* * *

A/N: And the stirrings of attraction have appeared! :D review, follow, favorite 3


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Another week, another chapter. Review, favorite, follow 3

* * *

After far too little sleep, Hermione dragged herself out of bed and to work. When she arrived at the museum, Harry had just arrived. Without a word, he handed her a giant coffee and a croissant.

"I love you," Hermione said, gratefully.

"You love Ginny," Harry replied with a grin. "She figured you wouldn't eat so she sent me with provisions."

"I love Ginny," Hermione amended, sipping the hot coffee. "How is she doing?"

"She was sick this morning," Harry told her. "Throwing up a little. But she seemed to perk up after she rested a little."

"I hope she feels better!" Hermione responded. "How did it go with George?"

"His charm is still in the works," Harry said, taking a bite of his own croissant. "But last night Angelina lost her entire purse and we mentioned we could use it for the investigation so Ron is going to cover the shop for a couple of days while George tries to finish it."

"That's great," Hermione answered. "That could really help us out. Whoever has that wand killed Kingsley."

"We think," Harry qualified. "So until then, we're going to work a different angle."

"What angle?" she wanted to know.

"I have no idea," Harry replied ruefully. "I sent my team back to Kingsley's this morning. It stops being a crime scene tomorrow so I sent them through to take anything that could be helpful. They really appreciate the vague direction."

Hermione laughed in response. "I'm going to go check on my guys in the back," she told him. "Let me know if you need us."

"I'll be here," Harry said, as a new box of evidence appeared on the desk to his left. "Sorting through whatever they send back."

"Good luck," Hermione called over her shoulder, as she walked into the control room.

When she walked in, Millicent was the only person in the room.

"Hey," Hermione said. "How's it going?"

Millicent turned in her chair and smiled at Hermione. "Hello! Everything seems to be going well. No one is acting out of character."

"Mind if I sit with you for a bit?" Hermione asked, sitting down in the chair next to Millicent when she nodded no.

"So how are you really?" Hermione asked, keeping one eye on the monitors.

"I'm afraid," Millicent told her, honestly.

"We'll keep you safe," Hermione told her for what felt like the millionth time.

"You're too good, Hermione," Millicent replied. "All you want to do is help people, whether they want it or not."

Hermione frowned at Millicent's response. Her words were reminiscent of Draco's from that morning. Hermione opened her mouth to ask Millicent what she meant when something on the monitor caught her eye.

"Millicent, bring camera six up on the big screen, NOW," Hermione ordered.

Without questioning her, Millicent did as she was told and Hermione moved to the far side of the room where the large monitor was.

"What do you see?" Millicent asked, as Hermione watched Marcus Flint, Senior move around his living room.

"I thought I saw something wrong," Hermione mumbled. "I guess I was wro-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Flint, Senior dropped to the ground. He writhed in pain on the floor for a couple seconds before he stopped moving altogether."

"Shit," Hermione swore. "I need to get a hold of Blaise. I'll be right back."

Hermione rushed to her office, grabbed the journal, scribbled Flint, Senior's name on the piece of paper, and sent it to Blaise. The follow up poof appeared seconds later. Hermione ran back down to the control room, the journal in her hand. She walked in to Millicent frantically flipping between the monitors.

"Hermione," she exclaimed. "Six others."

"What?" Hermione gasped, looking to the monitors.

Sure enough, six other of the Death Eaters lay immobile on the floors of their homes. Before Hermione could speak, Millicent brought up the screen with her parents home just in time to see both her parents drop to the ground.

"Millicent," Hermione snapped, grabbing the girl's arm and wrenching her away from the monitors. "You need to get the rest of the team here, NOW. We need everyone."

Millicent stared wide eyed at the monitor for a moment before snapping out of it. "I'll get them all," she said, and rushed out the door.

Hermione was close behind her and ran over to where Harry was buried in boxes.

"Harry," Hermione said, frantically. "I have to go, NOW."

"What's happened?" Harry asked, looking at her with concern. "Did someone remember?"

"As of right now, a number of the residents are down and I don't know why," Hermione told him. "I need to go, I need to see what happened, I need to make sure that they're okay."

"Hermione, are you sure?" Harry questioned. "What if it's something airborne? What if it could hurt you?"

"It doesn't matter," she replied. "They need help, I'm going to help them. What I need for you to do is get me Neville and Hannah."

"You want to bring MORE people into this?" Harry asked her incredulously.

"They're some of our best friends," Hermione snapped. "And two of the top doctors in the country. I don't have any medical training, Harry. I need them there. They're the only ones we can trust."

"Okay, okay," Harry said, rising from his seat and rubbing his temples. "I'll have them there within the hour."

"Thank you," Hermione replied, giving him a quick hug. "I'll be in touch as soon as I know anything."

"How are you going to get there in time?" Harry asked. It'll take you forever to fly and walk and I need at least a 1/2 hour to get a portkey set up for you."

"I have one," Hermione admitted, pulling a small chess piece from her bag. "It was for emergencies. This is an emergency."

"Of course you have one," Harry said, with a shake of his head. "You're Hermione Granger."

"Bring me Neville and Hannah, Harry!" Hermione called as she dashed out of the room. "ASAP!"

Hermione ran into the back alley where she activated the portkey and was whisked away. She landed in the kitchen of her house. She rushed out the front door and down the street. She first stopped at Blaise's home and knocked. When he didn't answer, she jogged to Malfoy's home. She banged the knocker repeatedly until Malfoy opened the door. He was dressed this time, in muggle jeans and a white t-shirt.

"Didn't we just do this?" Malfoy drawled.

"Something has happened," Hermione began but Draco cut her off.

"Granger, you told me this already," he interrupted. "We did have that conversation, right? That wasn't a dream?"

"Malfoy, listen to me!" she said, exasperated. "Someone-"

But she stopped when she heard a scream coming from within Draco's house. Draco whirled around and bolted into the house, with Hermione close behind him. Hermione followed him up the staircase and into a large sitting room. Narcissa Malfoy was sitting on the ground next to her husband's body, cradling his head in her lap. Draco rushed over to his mother, with Hermione close behind.

"Mother, what happened?" Draco asked, quickly.

"I don't know," Narcissa said, tears streaming down her face. "I came into the room and he was on the ground. He was fine a couple minutes ago."

"Does he have a pulse?" Hermione asked, quietly.

Narcissa looked up from her husband and noticed Hermione for the first time. "Ms. Granger," she said, stiffly. "How do you do?"

"Mother, she's here to help," Draco told her, gently. "Why don't you come into the bedroom and let Granger look at father?"

Draco led his mother from the room without even looking at Hermione. Hermione dropped down next to Lucius Malfoy and immediately grabbed his wrist. There was a pulse, she noted. It was weak but it was there. Draco came back into the room and gave her a hard look.

"You knew this was happening," he accused. "And you didn't bother to tell me."

Hermione looked at him incredulously. "I came here with the sole purpose of telling you that this was happening here!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know it would happen to your father."

"What do you mean, happening here?" Draco asked.

"Your father isn't the only person that this happened to," Hermione told him. "I know of at least seven others. I need to go check on them as well. Is there somewhere we can take them all?"

"Town hall," Draco responded, immediately. "That's the only place with enough space for that many people."

"Go set up an emergency hospital there," Hermione told him. "I'll get everyone who's sick there. I have doctors on the way."

"Don't tell me what to do, Granger," Draco snapped. "I'm the mayor here, not you."

"Malfoy, now is not the time for this," she snapped back. "Get your head out of your ass and work with me on this!"

"Don't talk to me that way, Granger," Draco said, angrily. "You have no right, you bitch."

"DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY!"

Draco winced as his mother's voice radiated into the room from her bedroom.

"LANGUAGE!"

"Yes, mother," Draco called out, his face mutinous.

He looked to Hermione. "Fine," he said, tightly. "I will set up the town hall. You do what you need to do."

Hermione nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak. She took out her wand to levitate Lucius' body but was stopped when Draco's hand closed over hers. She looked up at him expecting to see just anger but she noticed fear in his eyes as well.

"I'll take him," he said, with less hostility than she expected.

"Okay," Hermione replied, patting the hand on top of hers.

They were nearly as close as they'd been just that morning, Hermione realized. And she found herself staring at him again. Draco stared back at her.

"Thank you," he said, quietly.

"You're welcome," Hermione answered, removing her hand from his.

They separated and Hermione moved quickly out of the house. She needed to find Blaise, she knew. And she needed to find out exactly who was sick. Fortunately, she didn't have to look far for Blaise. She opened Draco's front door to find Blaise standing there, hand raised to knock on the door.

"Thank Merlin," he breathed. "I got your note, Flint, Senior isn't the only one who's down."

"Is he still alive?" Hermione asked, shutting the front door behind her so she stood on the porch in front of Blaise.

"Yes but barely," Blaise told her. "Hermione, he isn't the only one."

"I know," Hermione replied. "There's at least six others, not including Draco's father who fell ill a couple minutes go."

"What do we do?" Blaise asked, ready to move.

"We need to get everyone to the town hall," Hermione told him. "I've asked Malfoy to set up an emergency hospital there. I have two doctors on their way."

"Okay, great," Blaise replied. "I've already told Greg, the sheriff, he's started investigating. I hope that was okay."

"That's good," Hermione said, gratefully. "Hopefully between his investigation and my friends we can figure out what's happened."

"It's not a coincidence, is it?" Blaise asked, quietly, making sure no one else was around. "Whoever did this knows about us?"

"I don't think so," Hermione replied, honestly. "Which is why we need to figure this out as soon as possible."

Suddenly the front door to the Malfoy house swung open and Draco appeared in the doorway. Hermione could see his father's body levitating behind him. He gave Hermione a withering look before addressing Blaise.

"You need something, mate?" Draco asked.

"Blaise is going to help you get everyone into the town hall," Hermione responded for Blaise. "I'm going to go to the house to wait for my friends."

"Well we should do that then, shouldn't we?" Draco replied. "Instead of having a pow-wow on my porch."

He shoved past Hermione, and floated his father down the stairs. Blaise gave Hermione a small salute and jogged after Draco. With a sigh, Hermione walked down the stairs and went down the street to her house. She went into the kitchen and, a moment later, heard the sounds of footsteps coming from the basement. Harry had come through in record time, she mused. A minute later, Harry walked into the kitchen, followed by Neville Longbottom and his wife, Hannah. Both were carrying medkits.

"Hermione!" Neville exclaimed, rushing toward her.

Hermione found herself enveloped in a giant hug.

"Hello, Neville!" Hermione said, with a laugh.

He released her and Hannah moved in, giving Hermione a brief, tight hug.

"How are you both?" Hermione asked.

"Shell-shocked," Neville told her. "Harry's filled us in on everything."

"They're not bad people," Hermione rushed to say. "I'm sorry we never told you the truth but we needed it to be this way."

"Hermione," Neville cut her off with a smile. "We understand."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and returned Neville's smile. "Thank you."

"So why do you need us?" Hannah asked. "That's the only thing Harry didn't tell us."

The smile vanished from Hermione's face. "A number of the older Death Eaters have fallen ill," she said. "We don't know why or what's wrong."

"We better not waste any more time then," Neville said, his face becoming serious as well. "Lead the way."

"I'm going to go back to the museum, Hermione," Harry told her. "I think it's time to fill in my team about the rest."

"I agree," Hermione replied. "Once they're filled in, can you check the perimeter? See if there's any way someone could have gotten in here?"

"Absolutely," Harry said. "Looks like I'm going to be needing a lot more portkeys."

Hermione smiled in response. She gave Harry a quick hug and, once he left, she led Neville and Hannah through the house and out into the town. She walked briskly, pausing only when they first left the house to allow Neville and Hannah to take in the town. It was a lot at once, she knew. But she also knew that there were a number of sick people who needed them.

Within minutes they arrived in the town hall and Hermione pushed open the double doors leading into the main hall. The hall was lined with beds in rows, each with a chart at the end of the bed. The room looked very much how Hermione had pictured it should be set up. She watched as Draco placed Millicent's father in the last open bed as Blaise helped guide his body onto it. Once the body was down, Blaise looked up and, noticing Hermione standing at the front of the room, gestured to Draco. Together they approached her, Neville, and Hannah.

"This is all of them," Draco said, shortly. "What can you do for them?"

"This is Neville," Hermione replied. "And his wife, Hannah. They're both doctors."

"I assumed," Draco answered. "That doesn't answer my question."

"We'll split up and examine them all," Neville said. "Please tell my wife what symptoms you've observed."

Neville darted away, shooting an apologetic look at Hannah who was glaring at him.

"Very well," Hannah said, with a tight smile. "Why don't you tell me what you know?"

"I found my father unconscious after my mother screamed," Draco told her, irritated. "That's all I know."

"What did your father have to eat today?" Hannah asked. "Or drink?"

"I don't know," Draco replied, rubbing his eyes with his right hand. "Nothing? Nothing. He was passed out before breakfast."

"Mr. Malfoy, we're going to figure out what's happened," Hannah told him, her tone gentle. "Mr. Zabini, can you tell me anything else?"

"What Draco's told you is pretty consistent with what happened with the others," Blaise replied. "It's only the elders who are sick though if that makes a difference."

"Thank you," Hannah answered. "I'm going to join my husband and see if we can figure out what's wrong with them."

Hannah walked away, leaving Hermione, Blaise and Draco standing together.

"What did they do last night?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Why?" Draco questioned, suspiciously.

"Because if they were all together, it would explain why just this group of people got sick," Hermione provided.

"Greg is the sheriff, Granger, not you," Draco replied.

"Do you have to be a pain in the ass every step of the way?" Hermione demanded.

"Do you have to be in the middle of everything?" Draco tossed back, his voice raising.

"Poker night," Blaise said, physically stepping between Hermione and Draco.

"What?" Draco asked, in surprise. "I didn't know anything about poker night. Why the hell were you there and I wasn't?"

"I don't know," Blaise replied with a shrug. "I got a visit from Theo Nott, Senior just after dinner. He said that his wife was having a panic attack. I went over there with my bag but when I arrived, she was fine. She gave me a cup of tea and as I was leaving I saw a few people playing poker. He ushered me out and I went home."

"Who was at that poker night?" Hermione asked, urgently. "Did you see?"

"I honestly wasn't paying attention," Blaise told her. "But it wouldn't surprise me if a number of the people who are sick were there."

"We need to go to Nott's house," Hermione said, excitedly. "We need to search it and see what we can find."

"WE don't need to do anything," Draco cut in. "Blaise and I can get Greg. The three of us can handle it."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue with him but Draco cut her off.

"You're needed here," he said, not meeting her gaze. "You figure out what's wrong here, we'll figure out what happened there."

Hermione opened her mouth for a moment then closed it. "Okay," she replied.

Draco looked up at her in surprise. "Okay," he said, cautiously.

"Let me know what you find," she told him and walked away.

"Weird," Draco muttered under his breath.

Blaise chose not to say anything in response, merely nodding at his friend.

"Let's find Greg," Draco said, moving toward the front door.

Before he or Blaise could go anywhere though, the doors to the town hall flew open and Greg Goyle entered with an angry Theo Nott, Junior at his side. Theo marched toward Blaise and punched him square in the jaw. Blaise went down with the one punch and, as soon as he hit the ground, Theo jumped on top of him.

"What the fuck, Nott?" Draco shouted, running over and pulling the flailing man off his now bleeding friend. "What's wrong with you?"

"He did this," Nott seethed, struggling against Draco's hold. "He's the reason they're all sick."

"I didn't do a damn thing," Blaise said, spitting blood onto the floor. "Where did you get that idea?"

"We've just been to Theo's," Greg said, reaching down and helping Blaise to his feet. "Unfortunately, there's a substantial amount of evidence against you. I'm going to have to place you under arrest."

* * *

A/N: RUT ROH!


	9. Chapter 8

In spite of Blaise and Draco's protests, Greg read Blaise his rights and placed him in handcuffs. Up until this point, Hermione had hung back and watched but now, seeing her inside man in cuffs, she strode over and interjected.

"What evidence is there?" Hermione asked, ignoring the look of agitation that came across Draco's face when she joined them.

"I can't say," Greg replied, apologetically. "He'll get a trial in front of the board and they'll determine what happens to him."

"The majority of the board is lying in beds behind you," Draco pointed out, releasing Theo who'd finally stopped struggling against him.

"But not all," Greg pointed out. "I'm sure they can work out a fair way to do the trial."

At that, Greg led Blaise out of the town hall while Draco and Hermione watched helplessly.

"He'll get what he deserves," Theo said, looking from Draco to Hermione and back.

"He's one of your best mates," Draco replied, angrily. "How could you believe he'd do something like this?"

"Things change," Theo answered, shortly.

Without another word, he walked out of the town hall. Draco watched him leave, a look of hurt and anger on his face. Even though she couldn't stand Draco, her instinct was to soothe.

"Malfoy, it's going to be okay," she started but stopped when he whirled around to look at her.

"Don't tell me it's going to be okay," he bit out, his barely contained rage flashed across his face. "How can you say that? Either my best friend poisoned 14 people or someone set him up to look like he did. Neither of those make for an okay outcome."

"Blaise didn't do this," Hermione replied, taking a step toward him and placing her hand on his arm.

When he didn't shake it off, she kept going. "Unfortunately, that means someone has set him up. Or it means that someone got in here. It's up to us to figure out which one of those it is."

Hermione paused when she felt Draco's muscles tense under her hand when she said "us."

"Let me help," Hermione implored. "For Blaise's sake."

"Okay," Draco said, after a minute of tense silence. "Okay."

"Good," Hermione replied, removing her hand from his arm.

They stared at one another for another moment, neither moving closer, but neither moving away. The moment was broken, however, by a call from Hannah.

"Hermione? Malfoy?"

Hermione and Draco turned to see Hannah and Neville standing together near Draco's father's bed. Hermione and Draco walked over to them quickly.

"What did you find?" Draco asked, looking at his father's unmoving form.

"They were all poisoned," Neville said quietly, looking at Hermione and avoiding looking at Draco.

"Poisoned?" Hermione exclaimed. "With what?"

"I can't say for certain until we get a full sample back to the lab," Hannah replied. "But a field blood test indicates that they all were given an extremely high dose of aconite."

"Aconite?" Draco repeated. "That's an ingredient of the pain relieving potion. We take those all the time."

"In high doses, it's toxic," Hannah explained. "Especially if it's mixed with a dreamless sleep potion like we think it was here. It explains why we are having difficulty waking any of the patients.. The two together can be deadly."

"Who would have access to potions like that?" Neville asked.

"Blaise," Hermione said, suddenly. "He's the only person in town who has any medical training and who's authorized to give out potions like that."

"So now you're with Nott?" Draco asked, disgusted. "That didn't take long at all."

"I'm not with Nott," Hermione snapped at him. "I'm just saying, Blaise is the person who had permissible access. That doesn't mean that someone didn't steal it from him or find another way to get it."

"Does Blaise have an office?" Hannah asked, looking curiously from Hermione to Draco. "Go somewhere that he would keep the potions?"

"He keeps everything in a safe at the back of his office," Draco replied. "As far as I know he's the only one who knows the combination."

"Maybe he wrote it down somewhere," Neville suggested. "Or used a combination you could figure out?"

"Can we ask him?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Once someone is arrested, no one can talk to them until the morning of the trial," Draco told her, with a frustrated sigh. "It's how things have always been done and I hadn't gotten around to changing it yet."

"So let's go to Blaise's," Hermione replied, "See what we can do."

"What about everyone here?" Draco asked, looking to Hannah and Neville. "Now that you know what's wrong, can you cure them?"

"We already have," Hannah said, with a smile. "Luckily it's a simple matter of flushing all the toxins out of their bodies. We've given them an antidote potion to counteract the aconite and, when the dreamless sleep potion wears off, they'll wake up and they should all be fine."

"We can stay until they're awake," Neville offered. "That way the two of you can do what you need to do."

"That would be great, Neville," Hermione replied. "Thank you!"

Hermione looked at Draco expectantly, waiting for him to thank the Longbottoms for their help. Draco, however, wasn't looking at any of them. Instead, Hermione watched as his eyes scanned over the room, pausing momentarily when they landed on his father.

"Thank you," Draco said, holding out his hand to Neville.

Neville managed to control his surprise and shake Draco's hand. He then turned to Hannah and shook her hand as well.

"Thank you," he repeated. "I appreciate the help."

"You're welcome," Hannah answered, when all Neville did was gape at Draco.

She elbowed her husband and his mouth closed with a snap. "You're welcome," Neville managed.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Hermione said, giving her friends a smile.

Hermione and Draco walked side by side out of the town hall and down the street. They walked in silence to Blaise's office, which was the first floor of his home. Draco pushed the front door open and Hermione followed him into a small office off the main hallway. He moved to the only bookcase in the room and, with a grunt, pushed it aside, revealing a safe behind the wall. Hermione moved next to him and examined the safe. It was a standard combination safe, Hermione noted. Two feet tall, one foot across, with the dial offset from the center. Not something especially secure.

"This wouldn't have been hard to get into," Hermione commented. "If someone knew Blaise or had any skill with safes, it wouldn't have taken them long to get into it."

"Have a lot of experience cracking safes?" Draco asked.

Hermione went to snap back but when she looked at his face, she realized he was joking.

"It's one of my hobbies," she replied wryly. "Tons of fun."

Draco chuckled in response. "Well," he said. "Now what?"

"I'll look through Blaise's desk," Hermione answered. "See if I can find anywhere that he would have written down the combination. You start trying combinations."

"Any suggestions as to what I should try?" Draco asked, dryly. "It's not like there are thousands of possibilities."

"Try important dates," Hermione replied. "His birthday, the house number, anything you can think of."

At that, Draco moved toward the safe and began to spin the combination lock. Hermione began by opening the bottom right drawer of the desk. They worked in companionable silence for about 20 minutes, with Draco whirling the combination lock with every number combination he could think of and Hermione working systematically through the drawers of Blaise's desk. The silence was disrupted when Draco smacked his hand against the safe in frustration.

"This isn't working," Draco said, looking at Hermione. "Haven't you found anything?"

"No," Hermione admitted. "What have you tried?"

"I've tried his birthday, I've tried his office number, I've tried the year we came here," Draco told her. "I've tried everything I can think of."

Blaise wouldn't have used any of those dates, Hermione realized. As the only person who remembered anything before the Death Eaters had begun to live together, he would have used a date that only he could have known. A thought popped into her head.

"Try 15-9-8," Hermione suggested, shifting papers around in a drawer.

Draco gave her a look but turned back to the safe and tried it. A moment later, Hermione heard a click and, to her surprise, watched as Draco pulled open the safe.

"What the hell made you think of that?" Draco asked, looking at her in awe.

"It was scribbled on a piece of paper in here," Hermione lied, holding up a random piece of paper.

"Well if you found it, that means someone else could have," Draco commented.

"Right," Hermione replied, only half paying attention.

He'd chosen the date his family died, she thought sadly. The 1st of May, '98. The day before the Battle of Hogwarts. A day only he could know. A day he would never write down because it was a day he'd never forget. No one had broken into the safe, she realized. Which looked worse for Blaise.

"There's an inventory list hanging on the door," Draco said, breaking her train of thought.

"Let's see if anything is missing," Hermione replied, moving around from Blaise's desk to the safe next to Draco.

Draco handed Hermione the list and she read off to him the amounts of the pain potion and dreamless sleep potion that should have been there.

"There's a couple vials of each missing," Draco said, grimly.

"What's supposed to be over here?" Hermione asked, pointing to an open space on the top shelf.

Draco looked at the bottles surrounding the gap. "It looks like some of the calming drought is also missing," Draco told her. "That's odd."

"Calming draught, a pain potion, and dreamless sleep potion," Hermione listed off. "And nothing else is missing. We know why the pain potion and the dreamless sleep potion, but why the calming draught too?"

"I don't know," Draco replied, with a shrug. "But I know Blaise preferred to use the calming draught to the dreamless sleep potion given the addictive qualities of the dreamless sleep potion."

Hermione's eyes opened wide at Draco's words. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "Malfoy, where is Blaise's medical bag?"

"His medical bag?" Draco questioned. "I think I saw it by the door when we came in, why-?"

He was cut off my Hermione rushing past him. With a sigh, he followed her out of the room and down the hall. When he found her, she had dumped Blaise's medical bag onto the floor and she was sitting on the floor with the bag and all its contents.

"Granger, what the hell are you doing?" he asked, exasperated.

"None of it is here," she said, excitedly. "None of the missing potions!"

"Someone stole the potions from his bag," Draco realized. "Granger, he puts what he needs in his bag only right before he goes somewhere and he tends to put anything back in the safe as soon as he comes home."

"And the last call he took was to the Nott's," Hermione replied. "For a panic attack."

"Calming draught, a pain potion, and dreamless sleep potion," Draco murmured. "Everything Blaise would have used to treat not just any panic attack but Mrs. Nott's panic attacks. Whenever they happen, she tends to hurt herself. Blaise has treated her more times than I can count."

"So someone knew," Hermione commented, rising from the floor. "Not only how Blaise prepared his bag but what exactly he used when he treated Mrs. Nott. Malfoy, who knew that?"

"I don't know," Draco admitted. "I know because I've been with Blaise when he's taken a call to treat her. Obviously Theo and his father both knew. I don't know about anyone else."

"We need to find out," Hermione told him. "That will narrow down the list of people."

"The list is already pretty damn narrow, Granger," Draco replied. "Nearly half my people are lying in beds in town hall, I sure as well didn't do it, my mother didn't do it, so that only leaves us with about a dozen people."

"A dozen people won't exonerate Blaise," Hermione pointed out. "We need one. One person we can prove did this."

Before Draco could answer, a stag patronus pranced into the hallway. Draco jumped back in shock.

"What the hell is that?" he shouted.

"Hush," Hermione said, shushing him, waiting for the message from Harry she knew accompanied the patronus.

"The spell is finished, museum, now."

The locator spell was done, she realized. Which meant they would be able to find out where the wand was. And for some reason, Harry wanted her there.

"What the hell is that?" Draco repeated, staring as it vanished once the message was complete.

"It's a patronus," Hermione replied, quickly. "I'm so sorry Malfoy, I need to go."

"You need to go?" Draco asked, incredulously. "Now?"

"Yes, now," Hermione told him, impatiently. "I need to take care of something."

"What about Blaise?" Draco demanded. "We still haven't figured out who's framed him."

"I know, I know," Hermione replied, helplessly. "But I'm needed at work."

"Typical," Draco spat back, his anger rising. "You run away as soon as we actually start to accomplish anything."

"I'm not running away," Hermione snapped, her own anger rising as well. "I have other work to do, this isn't the only place I spend my time."

"Oh I'm well aware of that, Granger," Draco replied, moving towards her. "Come around once a month, check in on your pets, then go. Why should now be any different?"

"I have NEVER treated you anything but kindly," Hermione seethed, getting up in his face. "I've never done anything but help you."

"We don't need help from people like you," Draco spat back. "It was a mistake to let you help with this."

"People like me?" Hermione shouted, stabbing him in the chest with her finger. "What the hell do you mean people like me?"

Draco closed his hand over hers and tightened his grip when she tried to pull her hand away.

"Don't push me, Granger," he said, lowly. "You won't like how I am when I'm pushed."

"I don't like you to begin with," Hermione shouted back. "And don't you push me, Malfoy. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

They were close again, Hermione realized. Just like they'd been in the early hours of the morning. She could feel the anger radiating off of him and she could feel her own anger radiating from her as well. His eyes bore into hers and she met his gaze without hesitation.

"Back off, Granger," he whispered, somehow moving even closer.

"Go to hell, Malfoy" she whispered back, her eyes dropping to his lips, which were now a fraction away from hers.

It wasn't clear who moved first but all of a sudden the distance between their lips closed and they were kissing. Hermione felt her brain short circuit as his mouth moved over hers. Her hand remained trapped between them and her other dangled helplessly at her side. Hermione lost herself in the sensations and, despite the alarm bells going off in her head telling her to stop, returned the kiss with equal fervor. Draco's hand tightened around hers as he drew a low moan from her. At the sound, Draco moved in even closer and backed her against the wall. He did it so quickly Hermione hit her head against the wall. Pain shot through her, knocking her back to reality. Using her hand that was trapped, she pushed against his chest. Draco's mouth released hers but they stayed close, breathing heavily. Draco looked at her flushed face and she could see the lust burning in his eyes. She pushed against him again and he released her hand. She slid out from under him and, without meeting his eyes, ran out the door.

Hermione didn't stop moving until she was safely within her house. As soon as she stepped in the door, she leaned against the wall and slid down the floor. What the hell was that? She thought, wildly. What the hell was that? Little did she know, Draco had lowered himself to sit on the floor after she'd run out of the house and he sat, with his back against the wall, asking himself the same question.

* * *

A/N: And we have contact :D which is great! And we have Blaise imprisoned, which is less great. Did he do it? You tell me.


	10. Chapter 9

A/N:

Okay, question answering time!

1) Shoutout to ChenangoJones for noticing the very first chapter was entitled "epilogue" instead of prologue. Much appreciated.

2) finkles89 - these are the things that happen when you don't have a beta, thanks for catching that!

3) Honoria Granger - I didn't decide how many Death Eaters were in Asylum until nearly the end of the story so that was a bit sloppy on my part but, when I imagined Asylum, it was for those who refused to (or weren't really given a chance to) change. They're the ones who you'd hear the family name and be like, yeah Death Eater. So there's probably somewhere around two dozen people in Asylum.

Everyone else who has read/reviewed/favorited - THANK YOU! It means a lot :)

* * *

Hermione didn't have time to think about what had happened with Draco. She walked through the house and, using the portkey that she had, quickly went back to the museum. She walked into the workspace to find both Harry's team and the majority of her team sitting together on one side of the room. Hermione's eye caught a flash of red hair and she realized they were all standing around George Weasley, who was explaining something while they all looked on intently. She approached the group and was met with a wide grin from George when he saw her. The others turned around at George's grin and, upon seeing Hermione, there was a chorus of hellos.

"Hello everyone," Hermione returned the greeting. "What's going on?"

"George thinks he's perfected the locator spell," Ron said, proudly.

"I tested it out this morning to find Angelina's other shoe," George told her, with a grin. "One blue and white sneaker was happily reunited with it's other half."

"That's great!" Hermione exclaimed. "Do you think it'll work for...other...things...?"

"Everyone here knows everything," Harry told her, as she trailed off vaguely. "We can speak freely."

"Oh good," Hermione replied. "So can we use it to find Kingsley's wand?"

"I don't know," George said, honestly. "The spell works similar to the locator spell for people, you use an object that's similar to or has a common quality with the missing object. That's what I was explaining when you walked in."

"Well we have half the contents of Kinsley's house here," Ron pointed out. "There should be something we can use, right?"

"A wand is as unique as the wizard that uses it," George replied. "It's not just a common object, it's a different entity altogether. I have no idea what you could use that's comparable."

"Well we have to try," Hermione chimed in. "Right now, this is the best lead that we have."

"Why don't you all get started looking through the boxes of evidence that we have," Harry instructed the group. "George, can you oversee? Maybe guide them towards what might work for the spell and what might not?"

"Absolutely," George replied, jovially. "Come on, everyone!"

Without the same enthusiasm that George had, everyone except Ron, Hermione, and Harry moved towards the boxes of evidence that were stacked nearby and began to sort through them. Harry moved away from the group and back into the control room. Ron and Hermione followed him.

"Susan, can you go out and help the team?" Harry asked, once they were inside. "They could use another person."

"Of course," Susan replied. "But shouldn't someone stay and keep an eye on the monitors?"

"I'll keep an eye on them," Hermione told her. "You go ahead and help out."

"Okay," Susan said, and left the room.

"So what's going on with in Asylum?" Harry asked. "We saw Zabini was arrested, what happened?"

"Everyone who was sick was poisoned," Hermione answered. "The poison was a combination of potions that only Blaise had access to and Blaise was in the house where we think a number of them had been the night before. That was evidence enough for Greg Goyle so he arrested him. Blaise is being held until he's placed on trial."

"Maybe Blaise was trying to help us somehow?" Ron asked, scratching his head. "He knew they would be getting their memories back and so he tried to get rid of the worst ones?"

"Blaise didn't do this," Hermione said, confidently. "There's no way."

"Then who?" Ron wanted to know. "Who else could have done it?"

"I don't know," Hermione admitted. "We were in the middle of trying to figure that out when I got Harry's Patronus."

"We?" Harry asked. "Who's we?"

"Malfoy and I," Hermione said, ignoring the way that her heart sped up when she said his name. "He doesn't believe Blaise is responsible either so we came to a truce of sorts."

"How do you know he's not the one who did it?" Ron questioned. "He seems the most likely."

"I saw his face when he found his father collapsed in his room," Hermione replied, defensively. "He was genuinely surprised."

"We can't rule anyone out," Harry commented, earning a frown from Hermione. "Not even Blaise."

"If we could just talk to Blaise, you'd understand," Hermione said, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "But no one can talk to him until the morning of the trial. Whenever that is."

"He hasn't stopped pacing since we got in here so he likely has something to say," Ron said, pointing to the monitor.

At his words, Hermione's face lit up and she threw her arms around Ron with a quick hug.

"Ronald, you're brilliant!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the control panel.

With a couple of taps, she brought up the room where Blaise was on the large screen. She rushed over to the conference table, sliding files around and moving boxes until she found her journal. She grabbed a pen from the table and ripped a page from the journal. She quickly scribbled a message and sent it away in a poof. She then turned to the screen and watched as it appeared on the bed in the room where Blaise was being held. Blaise noticed the piece of paper and Hermione watched as he walked over, read the paper, then looked up, directly in the direction of the camera.

"What did you write?" Harry asked, moving next to Hermione.

"I told him to look up and left," Hermione replied, excitedly.

"How are you going to get anything out of him?" Ron wanted to know. "He can't exactly write back."

"But we can SEE him," Hermione told him, rolling her eyes. "A thumbs up or a thumbs down is all we need."

"That's brilliant, Hermione," Harry praised. "But aren't you limited to about a sentence for the magic to work?"

"I'll make it enough," Hermione replied.

Hermione ripped another piece of paper off and wrote another note. It disappeared in a puff of green smoke and she watched as it appeared next to Blaise. Blaise read the paper and gave her a thumbs up.

"What did you write?" Ron asked.

"I told him thumbs up means yes, thumbs down means no," Hermione replied as she wrote on another piece of paper. "Now I'm asking if he put his med bag down while at the Nott's."

A moment later, Blaise gave a thumbs up.

"Did you keep it in sight the whole time?" Hermione muttered as she wrote the note.

Blaise read the note and gave a thumbs down.

"Okay, so someone could have accessed his bag," Hermione said, more to herself than anyone else. "But who?"

"Uhh, Hermione?" Ron's voice broke through her thoughts. "I think Blaise is trying to tell you something?"

Hermione looked and saw Blaise had contorted his arms into a shape.

"What the hell is he trying to say?" Ron asked.

"It looks like he's trying to make a letter 's'," Harry said.

"S?" Hermione wrote on the paper.

A moment later, Blaise grinned and gave her a thumbs up. He then began to move his arms again. He stopped, puzzled, then instead tried to use his fingers."

"NOW what the hell is that?" Ron asked.

"Looks like an 'r'," Harry replied, shrugging when Hermione and Ron gave him an incredulous look. "What? Ginny likes charades."

With a laugh, Hermione wrote an "r" on the paper. When it arrived, Blaise gave her another thumbs up.

"S-, r-," Ron said. "That doesn't spell a damn thing."

"Senior," Hermione blurted out. "Nott Senior is the one who sent for Blaise, he must be the one Blaise thinks is framing him."

"Nott, Sr.?" Hermione wrote.

She looked to the monitor to see Blaise giving her two thumbs up.

"Hang in there," Hermione wrote and sent the message away.

Blaise gave her a thumbs up and went back to pacing.

"I need to get back," Hermione said to Harry and Ron, placing the journal into her bag. "Nott, Senior is unconscious but I can talk to Theo."

"Maybe not much longer," Harry replied, pointing to the camera trained on the inside of the town hall. "It looks like some of your patients are waking up."

Hermione looked to see Neville and Hannah helping Lucius Malfoy into a sitting position. She watched as Draco strode over to his father and the two embraced. There was a deep love there, Hermione realized. It shone through her monitors. She turned away and shook the thoughts of Draco Malfoy from her mind.

"Well I'm glad they're going to be okay," Hermione said, with a smile.

Ron opened his mouth to reply but a look from Harry had him closing his mouth again. Before anyone could say anything more, the door to the control room opened and Dennis walked in.

"We found something we might be able to use," Dennis said, excitedly. "George is ready to try the spell."

"Wonderful," Harry replied. "Let's go."

Together they all walked back into the workspace and over to where everyone was gathered. George was standing by one of the work tables with a map of London and surrounding areas spread out on it. He'd laid a small, red pushpin down on the map and he had his wand in hand.

"What are you going to use to try to find the wand?" Hermione asked.

"We found another wand while we were in Kingsley's home," Seamus told her. "We thought maybe Kingsley used it as some sort of backup wand. If that's the case, maybe it can help us find Kingsley's actual wand."

"Do you think it will work?" Ron wanted to know.

"No idea, little brother," George said, twirling his own wand in his hand. "But so far, it's the best we've got."

George kept the wand they'd found in his left hand and, with his wand in his right, muttered an incantation, while waiving his right hand. When the incantation was complete, he touched the wand with his wand, then touched the red push pin. The pin shot into the air, spun around three times, then froze mid-air. It stayed there, suspended for a moment, before dropping onto the table, exactly where it had previously lain.

"So that's a no to the spare wand," George said, with a half-laugh. "Oh well, on to the next!"

With groans of frustration, everyone went back to the evidence boxes.

"I need to get back," Hermione said, looking to Ron and Harry. "There's another journal like the one I used to communicate with Blaise in my office. Third book from the left on the second shelf. You can use that if you need to get in touch with me. There are instructions on the inside cover."

"I'm going to send a couple people over to Kingsley's place to see if we can get in and find anything else we could use," Harry told her. "Otherwise, we'll be here. Should we send one of your team back into the control room?"

"Oh Merlin, yes!" Hermione said. "I almost forgot."

"Who do you want us to send?" Ron asked.

"They know who's rotation it is," Hermione replied. "Just tell whoever's turn it is to get in there and keep an eye out."

"Will do," Harry said. "Here's a few more portkeys, the department is working overtime to get as many as we need."

"Thank you," Hermione said, taking the small black pouch. "Good luck."

She walked out of the room and went into the back alley behind the museum. She reached into the black bag and pulled out a large black binder clip.

"They really stretched the imagination with this one," Hermione muttered to herself.

She closed her eyes, gave it a squeeze and, after the pull, she opened her eyes and found herself in her kitchen.

"At least they're getting more accurate," she thought.

She rushed out her front door and nearly flew by Draco Malfoy who was standing on her porch. She grabbed her chest when she saw him.

"Merlin, Malfoy, you scared the hell out of me!" she exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," he replied, agitated. "What took you so bloody long?"

"Work," she told him, refusing to say more. "What did you find?"

"Most of the elders are awake," he told her. "Neville and Hannah are still there though keeping an eye on them. I asked them to keep everyone there under observation. Seemed easier."

"Good idea," Hermione said, ignoring the look of surprise on Draco's face when she complimented him. "We need to talk to Nott, Senior."

"He wasn't up yet last I was there," Draco told her. "He and Mathias Bulstrode were still unconscious. Why?"

"Then we need to talk to Theo," she said, so wrapped up in her own thoughts she didn't even hear his question.

She moved to walk off the porch but Draco stepped into her path. She immediately took a step back.

"Granger, I asked you a question," he tried again. "Why do we need to talk to Theo?"

"We need to search his house," Hermione replied, realizing she couldn't tell him that Nott Senior was Blaise's #1 suspect. "We need to see whatever it was that Goyle saw."

"That's going to have to wait a second, I have something I need to tell you," Draco said.

For the first time, Hermione looked up at his face. He looked worried, she realized. Really, really worried. Self-preservation went out the window and she moved back toward him.

"Malfoy, what's wrong?" she asked.

"My mother informed me that the remaining members of the board met while the elders were being cared for," Draco told her. "Blaise's trial will be Thursday morning."

"Thursday morning?" Hermione exclaimed in horror. "But it's already Tuesday evening, that gives us less than 48 hours to figure out who framed him."

"About 36 hours by my count," Draco replied, grimly. "It's not a lot of time."

A fierce determination lit Hermione's eyes and she shook off her fear. "Then we better get to work."


	11. Chapter 10

"The first thing we need to do is talk to Theo," she said, marching down the stairs of her house with Draco beside her.

"Lead the way," Draco replied, amiably.

His tone caused her to stop and turn. She looked at him suspiciously to which he just smiled pleasantly. Something was off, she thought. But she couldn't quite figure out what. With a huff, she started walking again but stopped again 10 seconds later. She had no idea where Theo lived, she realized. Draco knew she didn't know and was content to let her make a fool of herself. Internally cursing herself, she turned and looked at him. He had the same stupid, pleasant smile on his face.

"Not going to lead the way?" he asked.

"Oh you know I have no idea where to go," she replied, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "Just show me where the hell to go."

"If you insist," he said, with a mock bow.

"Malfoy, this is serious," she snapped. "Stop fooling around."

His demeanor went from pleasant to cold so fast Hermione was shocked he didn't get whiplash. "Don't tell me how serious this is, Granger," he seethed. "It's my father lying in a bed."

Without another word, he shoved past her, walking briskly down the street. She had to jog to catch up with him and even when she did, she had to practically continue to jog to keep up. She knew she needed to apologize but Draco never gave her the opportunity. In a matter of minutes, they were at the front door of a dark red brick home. Draco knocked on the door. When there was no response, he knocked again and called out.

"Theo, mate, it's Draco," he called. "Open the door!"

But there was still no answer.

"Where could he be?" Hermione wondered out loud.

Draco banged on the door, louder than before, rather than answering her. He continued banging on the door for a full minute before turning to her.

"Well it seems dear Theo isn't home," Draco said.

"Where else would he be?" Hermione asked.

"Hell if I know," Draco replied. "What's next in Hermione Granger's ten-part plan to save Blaise?"

"Maybe he went to visit his father," Hermione said, thinking out loud. "We could check there."

"Brilliant," Draco drawled. "Let's go."

He breezed past her and they walked in silence to the town hall. Once they were in front of the doors Hermione paused.

"Malfoy," Hermione began, but he ignored her and pushed the doors open.

Hermione followed him. Her eyes scanned the room but she didn't see Theo anywhere. Draco ignored her and walked over to the bed where his father was. Neville and Hannah approached Hermione.

"How is everyone?" Hermione asked when they reached her.

"Everyone except Nott Senior has woken up," Hannah replied with a smile. "They're all a little groggy but they're fine. We're going to release them all tonight."

"What about Nott Senior?" Hermione wanted to know. "Why hasn't he woken up yet?"

"He may have had a stronger dose than the others," Neville speculated. "Perhaps he was the intended target and the others were just collateral damage."

"It's possible," Hermione admitted. "Should we be worried?"

"I don't think so," Hannah said. "We'll just keep an eye on him."

"Has Theo been to visit him?" Hermione asked.

"No," Neville replied. "We haven't seen him since he attacked Blaise earlier today."

"Hmm," Hermione said, pensively. "I'll write to Harry, ask him to check the monitors."

Hermione stepped away from Hannah and Neville and pulled out the journal from her bag. She quickly scribbled Find Theo Nott onto a piece of paper and pulled it out. She sent it away in a puff of green smoke. When she looked up, Draco was talking quietly with Hannah and Neville. Hermione re-joined them.

"- and you can take him back home in about an hour," Neville was saying to Draco. "We just need to do one last check up to make sure he's fully recovered."

"Thank you again," Draco said, shaking Neville's hand. "Have you seen Theo Nott?"

"We just told Hermione," Neville answered, indicating to Hermione. "We haven't seen him since his tantrum this afternoon."

A loud crash caused them all to whip around and look behind them. They turned in time to see Nott Senior half out of his bed and moaning.

"Seems he's awake," Hannah said, as she hurried away to help him with Neville close behind.

Draco looked at Hermione and said, "we should go back to Nott's house, see if we can find him."

"Malfoy, I'm sorry," Hermione replied hurriedly. "I shouldn't have said what I did."

"Leave it," Draco answered curtly. "Let's just deal with this."

"Fine," Hermione said, mildly hurt he hadn't accepted her apology.

Before they could leave, however, Draco's father called his name. Draco immediately went to his father's side. Hermione watched as they had what looked to be a disagreement before Draco resignedly waved her over. Hermione approached cautiously.

"Ms. Granger," Lucius greeted her.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Hermione fumbled in response.

"My son tells me that the two of you are going to see young Theo Nott," he replied. "But won't tell me why."

Draco gave her a look as she opened her mouth and she gave him a helpless look.

"We think he can help us figure out what happened to all of you," Hermione supplied, ignoring Draco's scowl.

"Would it not help to know the events of the evening in discerning what happened?" Lucius asked, mildly.

"It would," Hermione conceded, focusing on Lucius' face instead of Draco's pointed glare.

"My father isn't well enough to talk, Granger," Draco snapped. "He needs to rest."

"Enough, Draco," Lucius silenced his son. "I'm sitting right here and I'm not some sort of invalid."

"But father," Draco tried but Lucius silenced him with a look. It was the same look that had worked since he was a child. He didn't remember that, of course, but instinctively he quieted.

"Now Ms. Granger," Lucius said, addressing her directly. "What do you need to know?"

Hermione gave a nervous look at Draco but when he didn't say anything, she spoke. "Blaise told us there was a poker game," she supplied. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Lucius replied. "We get together every couple of weeks and have a poker night. It's mostly an excuse for a number of people to drink excessively. An activity that I typically do not partake in."

"You said typically," Hermione commented. "Did you...partake last night?"

"I did," Lucius told her. "Not being mayor is a difficult adjustment for me. So I had a drink to help...ease the transition."

"What did you have to drink?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Nott had a bottle of Scotch he was bragging about," Lucius replied. "Said we'd never taste better. So I had a glass."

"Who else was there, father?" Draco asked.

"Everyone you see in this room passed through at some point or another," Lucius answered.

"Did everyone have a drink?" Hermione questioned.

"I can't say for certain," Lucius told her. "But it wouldn't surprise me. Nott was passing it around like it was water."

"What did it taste like?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Why the hell does that matter, Granger?" Draco interrupted before Lucius could answer.

"Overly sweet for my taste," Lucius replied, ignoring his son. "I didn't care for the taste nor the side effects."

"What side effects?" Draco asked looking at his father in confusion. "One drink shouldn't have any side effects."

"It made my tongue numb," Lucius replied. "A feeling I didn't care for so I didn't have more than one drink."

"How much did Mr. Nott have?" Hermione questioned.

"He had more than anyone," Lucius told her. "I didn't count but I'd wager at least five glasses."

"One last question, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione said. "Was Theo Nott there?"

"He was in the house," Lucius replied. "After all he lives there. But I didn't notice him during the festivities."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, you've been more helpful than you know," Hermione said.

"Rest now, father," Draco said, moving away from the bed. "I'll be back shortly to take you home."

Hermione turned to say something to Draco but he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from his father's bed. But he didn't stop there. He dragged her out the door, down the street, and didn't stop until they reached his front door. Once they were there, he released her and, without a word, walked into his house, leaving her to follow, which she did. She followed him into the library and tried not to flinch when he slammed the library doors shut behind them. Hermione could see he was angry but she didn't think the anger was directed at her so she sat down in one of the chairs and waited for him to say something. He paced for about 10 seconds before he exploded.

"It was fucking Theo," he shouted, his eyes burning into her. "Fucking Theo."

"Yes," Hermione replied calmly. "It's looking like it might have been."

"It's looking like it might have been?" he shouted. "It's looking like it might have been?! Merlin, Granger, there's no need to be so fucking democratic. Everything points to him! He's the one who accused Blaise in the first place, he's probably the one who had his father call for Blaise the night before, he lived in the fucking house so he probably knew when the poker night was happening and now he's MIA in a town that no one can leave. It's looking like it might have been him? For fucks sake, Granger!"

He threw himself down into the chair next to her and put his head in his hands.

"Malfoy," Hermione said, cautiously. "If it is him, the most important thing is for us to find him."

When he didn't answer she pressed on. "You're right, he can't leave the town, so where would he go?"

"I don't know, Granger," Draco said, lifting his head from his hands and shaking it. "I just don't know."

He didn't look angry anymore, she noted. Just drained. Absolutely drained.

"Well then we need to talk to the board," she told him. "Let them know what we know so they'll set Blaise free and look for Theo instead."

"You're right," he said, taking a steadying breath. "Luckily the head of the board is just upstairs. I'll go talk to her."

"We'll go talk to her," Hermione countered.

"I'm perfectly capable of having a conversation with my own mother, on my own," he told her. "I don't need your help."

"I know you don't," Hermione replied, putting her hand on his arm to stop him from rising out of his chair. "But I'd like to be there. Let me help."

The minute she touched his arm, she knew she'd made a mistake. She felt him tense under her hand and his eyes sharped.

"I warned you not to push me, Granger," he said, quietly before leaning forward and capturing her mouth with his.

There was no hesitation this time on either of their parts. He pulled her out of her chair and she slid easily into his lap. His hands fisted in her hair and she tangled hers around his neck as she pressed herself closer to him. When she slid further up into his lap, they both moaned at the contact. She clung to him as they ravaged each other's mouths. He pulled one hand from her hair and snaked it up her back, sliding his nails along her spine. Then all of a sudden she was thrown from his lap onto the floor. She looked up at him in shock but noticed he wasn't looking at her but looking toward the door. She followed his gaze and her mouth dropped in horror when she saw what he was looking at.

"Hello, mother."

* * *

A/N: Enter Narcissa Malfoy.

With regards to updates, I've realized I probably need to finish uploading the story before school starts so the story doesn't end up abandoned when I end up buried in work. I'll be trying my best to step up how often I upload!


	12. Chapter 11

Narcissa Malfoy knew how to make an entrance, Hermione had to give her that. She was dressed entirely in black, in a long flowing dress that floated around her. Her blonde hair flowed freely down her shoulders. She also had impeccable timing.

"I heard the door slam and thought I'd come down and make sure you were alright," Narcissa said, gliding into the room. "Good evening, Ms. Granger."

"Good evening, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said as eloquently as she could from the floor.

"Please, call me Narcissa," she said with an inviting smile.

Hermione smiled back weakly. Draco stood there, stunned, as his mother came further into the room.

"For Merlin's sake, Draco, help the girl up," Narcissa said, as she gracefully sat on the edge of the desk. "Didn't I teach you any manners?"

Draco looked down at Hermione and unceremoniously hauled her to her feet.

"Sorry," he muttered to Hermione. "For whatever is about to happen."

"Now, now, Draco, don't mumble," Narcissa scolded.

"I apologized to her," Draco said, loudly. "For dropping her on the floor."

"Good," Narcissa replied. "Now, why were you slamming my library doors? Is something wrong with your father?"

"No," Draco relented, realizing he hadn't told his mother his father was due home soon. "He's going to be home within the hour."

"I know that," Narcissa told him. "That lovely doctor, Mrs. Longbottom, came by to let me know that she and her husband would be bringing him by momentarily. I thought perhaps you'd like to help get your father settled."

"Of course, mother," Draco replied. "I'll just see Ms. Granger out."

"Nonsense," Narcissa said, "If you're going to manhandle her in the library and toss her onto the floor, the least we can do is have her stay for dinner."

"She can't," Draco said, looking frantically at Hermione. "She has...she has…"

"I have to work, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione cut in, sparing Draco from lying to his mother. "But thank you so much for the offer."

A loud knock at the front door ended any further conversation.

"Well, that'll be Lucius," Narcissa said. "Ms. Granger, you don't mind helping us get him settled, do you?"

"Mother," Draco snapped, but quieted when Narcissa held up her hand.

"Of course not," Hermione replied, hating her parents in that moment for instilling in her such good manners. "I'm happy to."

"Wonderful," Narcissa said, clasping her hands together.

She stood in the doorway expectantly and, realizing she wasn't going to leave them alone, Draco rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. Hermione followed him, with Narcissa behind her. Draco entered the foyer to find his father inside with Neville and Hannah on either side of him.

"Lucius!" Narcissa exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. "I've been so worried!"

"Enough of that," Lucius scolded. "I'm just a bit tired is all. Otherwise I'm completely fine."

Narcissa released her husband and looked at Neville. "Can you help Draco get him upstairs, Mr. Longbottom?"

"Of course," Neville managed, clearly trying to reconcile the Malfoy family he knew with the one in front of him. "Lead the way, Malfoy."

Together, the three men slowly went up the stairs. As they ascended, Narcissa turned to Hannah.

"Mrs. Longbottom, how are the others?"

"Please, call me Hannah," she answered. "And they're all fine. All will probably be tired for a bit longer, but they're all perfectly healthy."

"I can't thank you enough for taking care of my Lucius," Narcissa replied. "Have you taken the others home yet?"

"We have, actually," Hannah told her. "Your husband insisted on being the last person brought home."

"Forever the martyr," Narcissa said, rolling her eyes and causing Hannah to laugh. "My dear, you and your husband must stay for dinner. It's the least we can do."

Hannah looked surprised at the offer and looked toward Hermione. Please say no, Hermione thought, please say no.

"Ms. Granger is going to join us as well," Narcissa said with a smile.

"I-," Hermione began.

"Well in that case, we'd love to stay," Hannah told her. "Thank you so much for the offer."

Hermione closed her mouth. She knew when she'd been beat and Narcissa Malfoy had just managed to box her very neatly into a corner.

"Wonderful," Narcissa said. "I'm going to pop into the kitchen and get started making dinner. Is steak okay? It's all we have in the house right now."

"Steak is fine," Hannah replied smoothly. "Can we help?"

"Oh no, no dear," Narcissa told her. "Why don't the two of you go and have a drink in the sitting room? I can only imagine the day you two have had."

"Please let us know if you need any help," Hannah said, with a smile.

Narcissa floated out of the room and Hannah dragged a speechless Hermione by the arm down the hall and into the sitting room. She sat down on a sofa and pulled Hermione down next to her.

"What. Was. That!?" Hannah whispered, her eyes bright with amusement. "I feel like I just aided and abetted the smoothest maneuvering the world has ever seen."

"I wasn't going to stay," Hermione whispered back. "I was going to leave, I was going to work, I was going to go anywhere that wasn't here."

"She's just being nice, Hermione," Hannah replied in the same low voice. "Unless she has a reason not to?"

"No, no, no," Hermione said, quickly. "No reason at all."

"You're lying," Hannah claimed, with a Cheshire cat grin. "Does this have to do with the sex vibes between you and Draco Malfoy?"

"Merlin, keep your voice down!" Hermione exclaimed as she fidgeted in her seat. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh please," Hannah replied. "There's so much sexual tension between the two of you the air practically sizzles when you're near one another."

"You, you are crazy," Hermione said, firmly. "Overexposure to potions. Crazy."

"You are in denial," Hannah countered. "So? What happened? Did Narcissa pick up on the sex vibes?"

Hermione opened her mouth to lie but Hannah gave her a look. With a sigh, she replied, "she caught us kissing in the library."

"Yes!" Hannah cried, fist-pumping. "Neville owes me 20 galleons."

"You bet on that?" Hermione said in horror.

"I always bet when I know I'll win," Hannah replied with a grin. "So? First kiss? How was it?"

"It wasn't the first," Hermione muttered, shooting Hannah a death glare when she squealed with delight.

"Hermione Granger, you slut!" Hannah exclaimed. "Tell me everything."

So she did, from start to finish and by the end of her story, Hannah was nearly jumping out of her seat with excitement.

"So what are you going to do?" Hannah asked her.

"Nothing," Hermione said, firmly. "Not a thing. Pretend it never happened. Never see him again."

"Wrong answer," Hannah replied. "Try again."

"It's Draco Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed, flopping back against the couch. "Remember? The boy who tortured me through school? The former death eater who let other Death Eaters into the school? A complete and total prat?"

"Sure," Hannah told her. "But he doesn't."

At Hannah's words, she sank even further into the couch. "That's the thing," Hermione said quietly. "He doesn't remember. But soon he's going to. He's going to remember everything and then he'll hate me. I can't put myself through that, I just can't."

"Hey," Hannah said, gently. "I was just talking about sleeping with him. Do you actually like him?"

"I'm afraid I could," Hermione answered, honestly. "He's incredibly intelligent, he's capable of being incredibly kind, and he challenges me."

"Not to mention he's incredibly sexy," Hannah pointed out with a giggle.

"I'm just saying it's not worth the risk," Hermione told her.

"And I'm saying, it is," Hannah countered. "You haven't been with anyone since you and Ron broke up and that was years ago. There are worse people you could fall for than Draco Malfoy."

Before Hermione could answer, Draco and Neville entered the room.

"How's Lucius?" Hannah asked, rising from the couch.

Draco stared at Hermione and Hermione stared at the floor.

"He's settled in," Neville replied, when Draco didn't, raising an eyebrow at his wife.

"Will you be going now?" Draco asked, stiffly.

"Oh no," Hannah said, with a wide grin. "Your mother asked us to stay for dinner."

"She, she, she what?" Draco sputtered.

"And we're staying?" Neville asked, looking at Hannah now as if she was crazy.

"She offered to make us dinner to thank us for helping everyone today," Hannah told them. "She said it was the least she could do."

"If you'll excuse me," Draco said, and fled from the room.

"This is going to be fun," Hannah said, clapping her hands.

"Why do I feel like I'm missing something?" Neville asked, glancing between Hannah's look of complete and total glee and Hermione's look of exasperation.

"You are," Hannah said with a wink. "I'll tell you when we get home."

"Okay?" Neville replied, curiously.

Draco suddenly reappeared in the doorway. "My mother says to tell you dinner will be ready in 20 minutes," he said. "And to ask if you'd like a tour of the house."

"Oh we're fine here," Hannah said. "But Hermione had mentioned earlier she wanted to see more of the house."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror.

"Really, I'm fine here," Hermione said. "No tour needed."

"Nonsense," Narcissa Malfoy said from behind Draco, frightening all of them. "Draco, take Ms. Granger on a tour of the house. She should see something other than the library floor."

Draco turned bright red at his mother's words and Hermione wished for a quick death. When it didn't come and Narcissa Malfoy didn't waiver, Hermione rose from the couch and walked over to Draco.

"You could start in the gardens," Narcissa suggested. "It's a lovely night."

"Right," Draco said, turning away from Hermione without looking at her. "This way."

Hermione trailed behind him, following him as he led her through the backyard. They came across a bench and Draco sat down on it and put his head in his hands. Hermione stood awkwardly nearby until he snapped at her to sit down. She sat down on the edge of the bench, as far from him as possible, and looked up at the sky. You could see the stars here, she realized. It was breathtaking.

"That's Draco, there," he said, pointing up at the sky. "My namesake."

"It's nice," she replied, quietly.

"Listen-" they both started to say at the same time, then stopped just as abruptly.

They sat in silence for a couple more minutes before Draco spoke again.

"I'm sorry about my mother," he said. "She's...strong-willed."

"She's...formidable," Hermione replied. "If I wasn't terrified of her, I think I'd like her a great deal."

"It's very possible to do both," Draco said with a laugh. "Trust me."

They lapsed into silence again until, this time, Hermione spoke.

"So during dinner, we should tell your mother what we know," Hermione said. "About Theo."

"After," Draco replied, absentmindedly. "That's not proper dinner conversation."

"After," Hermione repeated. "Right. Of course."

"Mother is big on propriety," Draco told her, with a small smile.

Hermione went to respond when a piece of paper appeared in the grass next to her. She bent down to pick it up. She recognized Harry's scribbled writing and the note made her heart sink.

"Who is it from?" Draco asked, curiously.

"Harry," Hermione replied. "I'd asked him to see if he could find Theo on the grounds."

"How would he be able to do that?" Draco wanted to know.

"He has a special map of sorts," Hermione lied, feeling her heart clench at the words.

She couldn't tell him the truth, she knew. That they were watched nearly everywhere they went. But whereas before it just felt invasive, now it just felt wrong.

"What does the note say?" Draco questioned.

She handed it over to him to read.

No Theo

"No Theo?" Draco said, re-reading the note out loud. "What the hell does that mean?"

"That means he's somewhere that the map doesn't reach," Hermione told him.. "Or that he's somehow managed to leave the town entirely. Or…"

"Or?" Draco asked. "Or what?"

"Or he's dead," Hermione said, looking at Draco's face. "The first one being the most likely of the three in my opinion."

"Too bad," Draco replied. "I'd have settled for dead."

"Malfoy," Hermione said, softly. "He's your friend."

This time he placed his hand on her arm. "It's like Theo said," Draco replied, staring into her eyes. "Things change."

"Draco? Hermione?" Hannah called from the house, shattering the fragile moment. "Dinner is ready."

"Coming," Draco shouted back.

He rose from the bench and held out his hand to Hermione. She hesitated but took it and he helped her to her feet. He released her hand and they walked side-by-side back into the house.

Dinner turned out to be completely uneventful. Narcissa and Hannah chatted the entire time about gardens, medicine, and children while Neville, Hermione, and Draco looked on in silence. Once the meal was over, everyone helped Narcissa clear the table and clean up the kitchen.

"Thank you so much, Narcissa," Hannah said, beaming at her. "We had such a wonderful time."

"I'm so glad you could come," Narcissa replied. "It gets a bit boring here hosting the same people over and over. I do hope you'll come again."

"We'll certainly try," Hannah told her.

The two women embraced and, once they were done, Narcissa walked over and embraced Neville as well.

"You've got a wonderful wife," Narcissa said, releasing him from the hug.

"I think so," Neville replied, giving her a genuine smile. "Thank you for dinner."

"You have what you need?" Hermione asked, hoping they knew she meant the portkey.

"We do," Hannah replied. "Make sure that you do too."

With a wink, she took Neville's hand and the two of them walked out of the Malfoy home.

"Ms. Granger, would you like a tour of the rest of the house now?" Narcissa asked, pleasantly.

"Actually mother, we need to talk to you," Draco told her. "In your official capacity as Chairman of the Board."

Narcissa's demeanor quickly changed from friendly to serious. "Of course, dear," she said. "Come up to my office."

Draco and Hermione followed Narcissa up the stairs and into her office. Hermione and Draco sat in the two chairs facing the desk while Narcissa moved around to the other side and sat in a plush desk chair. She snapped her fingers and the papers in front of her desk immediately organized themselves into neat stacks.

"If you don't mind, I just need to record this," Narcissa said, gesturing to the quill now poised above a piece of parchment.

"Of course," Draco replied.

"Now," Narcissa said. "Tell me."

So they did. Taking turns, Hermione and Draco revealed everything they'd learned that day, from their own doubts about Blaise's guilt to the disappearance of Theo. When they were done, Narcissa cancelled the spell on the quill and it dropped onto the parchment.

"You two have been busy," she commented.

"It was important," Draco replied with a shrug. "Blaise is my best friend. Granger can't stop herself from helping people."

"Regardless," Narcissa said. "I'll take this to the rest of the board tomorrow. It's far too late now."

For the first time, Hermione heard the clock chime. It was 11pm she realized. Far later that she meant to stay.

"I should be going," Hermione said, rising from her chair.

"I'll be taking this to the board first thing in the morning," Narcissa told her. "They may have some questions for you and Draco. It might be easier if you were already here."

"I couldn't possibly impose on you like that," Hermione replied, hastily. "Really, I can just go and come back early in the morning. I don't have anything to wear."

"Nonsense, it wouldn't be an imposition," Narcissa replied. "I insist. We have a fully furnished extra bedroom. I'll have Pansy bring over some clothes for you. She's a bit taller than you but it should work."

"Mrs. Malfoy, really," Hermione tried to protest but it was in vain. Narcissa Malfoy just steamrolled right over her.

"Draco will show you to the room," she said, rising from the desk and moving out of the room. "Goodnight."

"Your mother is…," Hermione started to say and let out a breath of frustration.

"Formidable, I believe is the word you used earlier," Draco replied, fighting a grin.

Hermione rubbed her temples and sighed in response. "I suppose you should show me to the room now."

"I suppose I should," Draco replied, rising from the chair.

Hermione rose as well and followed him out of the room. She was spending the night in the Malfoy home, she thought with a shake of her head. What was the worst that could happen?

* * *

A/N: So I'm a HUGE believer that if Narcissa had been given a chance to develop more as a character in the original story, this is how she would have been. Any woman who lies to Voldemort to protect their child is obviously a badass so that's how I portrayed her.


	13. Chapter 12

"Here's the room," Draco told her, opening a light wood door.

Hermione walked into the room and had to contain a chuckle. The walls were painted Slytherin green and Hermione's eyes slid over to the king size bed with silver sheets. The bed frame was ornate and there were several replicas of expensive pieces of art of the wall. Thoroughly Malfoy, she mused to herself. Even without them fully knowing how much so.

"Do you need pajamas?" Draco asked, breaking her thoughts.

"I can just sleep in my clothes," Hermione replied.

"Nonsense," Draco said, waving her comment off.

Before she could respond, he disappeared from the room. He reappeared a minute later holding a Hogwarts t-shirt and quidditch shorts. She went to refuse when he threw the clothes at her and she had no choice but to catch them unless she wanted to be hit in the face.

"It's just clothes, Granger," he told her, looking slightly smug. "Something the matter with wearing my clothes?"

"Of course not," she replied, raising her chin in defiance. "I just didn't know you owned anything other than formal clothing."

He raised an eyebrow in response.

"I'm going to change," Hermione told him, turning her back to him before he could say anything further. "Don't let the door hit you on your way out."

Hermione strode into the attached bathroom and shut the door behind her. She quickly changed into Draco's clothes, surprised to find that though the shorts fit fairly well, the t-shirt was long enough on her to cover the shorts. Without giving it further thought, she washed her face and reentered the bedroom. She was shocked to see Draco exactly where she'd left him. She didn't miss the way that his eyes heated when he looked at her. His eyes raked over her and she fought to keep from shivering under his gaze. Determined to seem unaffected, she went for her default when dealing with Draco: rude.

"I believe I asked you to leave," Hermione said, moving towards the bed. "Or did you not understand what I meant?"

Draco didn't respond for a second and Hermione opened her mouth to try to get rid of him again but he spoke.

"You're a guest," he replied, smoothly. "Just wanted to make sure you got squared away."

Hermione slid into the bed and stared at him for a moment before answering. "I'm squared away," she said, using his wording.

He looked at her for another moment before turning his heel and walking out of the room. He slammed the door shut behind him and Hermione leaned back against the headboard. That was by far their strangest interaction to date, she thought. She couldn't help feeling like he was waiting for her to ask him to stay. And she didn't like that she'd considered it herself. She needed to put distance between her and Draco, she concluded. Whatever was happening between them couldn't happen and she needed to get control of her emotions. Satisfied she had a plan, she slid under the covers fully and quickly fell asleep.

Unfortunately, she awoke again a few hours later. She took a moment to remember where she was then tried to figure out why she'd woken up. She'd heard something? she thought. But when she listened, the house was silent. With a shrug, she rolled over and was nearly back to sleep when she heard the sound again. She sat up in bed and tried to listen more carefully. When she heard the sound again, she grabbed her wand from where she'd placed it on the bedside table and got out of bed. The sound had come through the vent at the far end of the room she realized. The wall between the bedroom she was staying in and Draco's. She moved over to the vent and placed her ear next to it. The sound was still too faint so with a quick spell, she amplified her hearing. It was crying, she realized. And mumbling. Draco must be dreaming, she discerned. And she was intruding. She quickly canceled the spell and got back into bed. About 30 seconds later, she heard the noise she'd heard before but louder and she got back out of bed. She would knock on his door to wake him from the dream then go back to bed, she decided. No matter what she felt, she couldn't sit by and listen to him suffer through a nightmare - Merlin knew she'd had enough of her own. She opened the bedroom door and padded quietly into the hallway.

When she arrived at Draco's door, she could hear the creaking of the bed and the cries were louder. She knocked on the door as loudly as she thought she could without waking the rest of the house. When there was no response, she tried knocking a little louder and a couple more times. But there was no response at the door and no change in the sounds coming from the other side of the door. With a sigh, she placed her hand on the doorknob. It would be locked, she reasoned. And when it was, she could have done everything she could to try and wake him. To her surprise, the doorknob turned in her hand and she pushed open the door. She poked her head in the door and saw Draco. A small lamp was on next to his bed and she was sprawled diagonally on the bed. The sheets were twisted around his half-naked body and she could just barely make out the tears on his face. She felt her heart squeeze and she moved into the room, closing the door behind her. He let out another sob as she approached the bed.

"Malfoy," she whispered, moving toward the bed. "MALFOY!"

He started to stir but didn't wake. With a roll of her eyes, she reached over and shook his shoulder. "Malfoy, wake the hell up!"

His eyes shot open and in a flash, Hermione found the hand that had been on his shoulder, tightly in his grip.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" he rasped, his eyes darting over her face.

"You were having a nightmare," she explained, calmly. "It sounded like a bad one so I thought I'd wake you up."

"I don't need you to check on me," he told her, shoving her hand away and sat up. "Get out."

He walked over to his bedroom door and opened it. He waved his hand toward the door.

"You don't need to be rude," Hermione said, brushing past him.

As she moved by, his hand snaked out and he grabbed her arm. She looked up at him and saw the remnants of the nightmare in his eyes. He stared back at her.

"What was it about?" she asked, quietly, looking up at him.

"Go back to your room, Granger," he said, roughly. "My nightmares, my problem."

He released her arm and she moved into the hallway. She walked down the hall and turned back to look at Draco's door. He was still standing in the doorway.

"It doesn't have to be just your problem," she told him.

Without waiting for a response, she walked into the room and shut it behind her. She got back into bed and fell back to sleep. She woke the next morning feeling more rested than she had in awhile. Without getting out of bed, she checked her watch and saw that it was just past 7 am. Too early, she thought, for anyone else to be awake. But all of a sudden, there was a knock at her door. Before she could answer, Pansy Parkinson waltzed into the room.

"Oh good, you're up!" she exclaimed. "Narcissa stopped by on her way to talk to the board this morning and said you needed clothes."

"I was just going to wear what I wore yesterday," Hermione told her, sitting up in the bed. "I don't need to borrow your clothes."

"What, my clothes aren't good enough for you?" Pansy asked, an angry glint appearing in her eye.

"Of course not," Hermione replied, surprised.

"Just kidding, of course," Pansy said with a forced laugh. "Well here you go."

Pansy threw a dress onto the bed and a piece of paper fluttered next to it. Hermione picked it up and looked at it.

 _Come by at 10pm tonight for a delicious surprise! xxxx_

"Oops!" Pansy said, with a tinkling laugh, snatching the paper from Hermione. "I'd written Draco a little note after Narcissa and I spoke. It must have gotten stuck in the dress!"

"I'll just go...wake Draco up," she told her with a wink. "He's usually very happy to see me in his bedroom."

Pansy waltzed back out of the door and slammed the door shut behind her. Hermione heard as Pansy knocked loudly on Draco's door and then heard the sound of a door opening and closing. With a sigh, Hermione leaned forward and reached for the dress. It was short, black, and the bottom was covered in ruffles. The neck of the dress was rose patterned lace that came all the way up to her neck. It was...exactly the type of dress she would never in a million years wear, Hermione thought. With a sigh, she got out of bed and put on the dress. Once she put the dress on, she moved to see just how ridiculous she looked in the mirror when she heard a shout and a door slam. Not thinking, she went out into the hallway. She caught a glimpse of Pansy storming down the hallway. Draco came out of his room a moment later, still in his boxers. He looked down the hallway in the direction Pansy had come from with a shake of his head. He turned to go back into his room and caught a glimpse of Hermione. His eyed widened and his jaw dropped.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Draco managed, barely smothering a laugh.

"It's from Pansy," Hermione told him, glaring at him.

"You look…nice," Draco strained, covering his laugh with a cough.

"Oh shut up!" Hermione said, fighting her own urge to laugh. "It's not funny."

"No, no it's not," Draco started to say before bursting out laughing. "I'm sorry Granger, you look ridiculous."

"I know," Hermione relented, with a laugh. "But it's all she brought!"

"Go back to your room," Draco told her. "I'll be there in a minute."

Hermione gave him a questioning look but went back into her room. A couple minutes later, there was a knock at her door. Draco entered, holding what looked like some clothes.

"Here," he said, handing over what he was holding. "I grabbed one of my shirts and a skirt from the back of my mother's closet. It'll probably work."

"Thank you, Malfoy," Hermione said, taking the clothes from him with a smile.

He smiled back at her and Hermione felt her heartbeat quicken. As if he noticed, he stepped toward her, the smile sliding from his face. He stopped directly in front of her and she looked up at him.

"Granger," he whispered.

He leaned toward her and his lips were a breath away from hers when they heard Narcissa calling from downstairs.

"We're going to finish this," he said, quietly.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she admitted, clasping her hands over her mouth.

Draco's eyes lit at her words and she took a step back.

"I should change," she said, moving past him and into the bathroom.

She tried to ignore the fact that he stuffed his hands into his pocket as if he was trying not to reach out and grab her. She quickly changed into the clothes Draco had given her and was relieved to find he was no longer in her room when she came out of the bathroom. She grabbed her clothes from the previous day, stuffed them into her bag, and made her way downstairs. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she found Narcissa waiting impatiently.

"Where's Draco?" Narcissa asked. "It'd be faster to tell you both at the same time."

"I'm here, mother," Draco called, from the top of the stairs.

Hermione resisted the urge to turn and look at him.

"Wonderful!" Narcissa said. "Come into the sitting room, the hallway isn't the place for conversation."

Hermione and Draco followed Narcissa into the sitting room. Once they were all seated, Narcissa began.

"So I've just returned from the meeting with the board," she said. "Based on the information gathered by the two of you, they've decided to release Blaise."

"That's wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed. "But don't you need us to testify?"

"As it turns out, the board was content to take me at my word," Narcissa replied, airily, ignoring the way Hermione's eyes narrowed at her words. "But there's more. They've decided to do a full search of the town for Theo. I volunteered Draco to organize."

"Why thank you, mother," Draco said, dryly.

"You're the mayor," Narcissa told him, dismissively. "You're the only one who should be doing it. Hermione, since you're already dressed, will you stay and help?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer when a piece of paper appeared on the floor in the middle of the sitting room. Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes at how far off, she assumed Ron, had been with the spell. She rose quickly, walked over to the paper, and picked it up. It read, in Ron's scratchy handwriting: _WHERE ARE YOU?!_

"I'm needed back at my office," Hermione answered, from where she'd picked up the paper. "But I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Of course, of course," Narcissa said, pleasantly. "When do you need to go?"

"Now," Hermione told her. "I'm so sorry. Will someone be there when Blaise is released?"

"I'll stop by," Draco said. "Make sure he's alright."

"Wonderful, thank you, I'll be back as soon as I can!" Hermione replied.

Without another word, she stuffed the piece of paper into her bag and rushed out of the Malfoy home. She hurried down the street into her house and, once she was inside, pulled out her portkey. Within a couple of seconds, Hermione found herself back at the museum. She went inside through the back entrance and found Millicent and Susan sitting in the control room.

"Hermione!" they exclaimed, as soon as they saw her. "Where have you been?"

"I stayed in Asylum," Hermione told them. "Couldn't you see me on the monitors?"

"We saw you in the Malfoy house but that was the last place that we saw you," Susan answered. "You never reappeared on any of the cameras so we told Harry and Ron."

"I better go talk to them," Hermione said, avoiding explaining herself to Susan and Millicent.

Hermione went out the door and into the workspace. Harry and Ron were sitting at one of the work tables. They both rose when she came in.

"Hermione, where the hell have you been?" Ron demanded to know. "We've been worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry," Hermione replied. "I ended up staying late in Asylum and I thought because of the monitors, you'd know where I was. I forgot that we never placed cameras in the bedrooms."

"Bedroom?!" Ron cried, his eyes bulging out of his head. "What the hell were you doing in a bedroom at the Malfoys?"

"I slept in their spare room," Hermione told him. "Ron, you've got to calm down. I'm perfectly fine."

"Why didn't you just stay in your house?" Ron wanted to know. "You have a house there."

"There's no bedroom set up," Harry said, finally chiming in. "And I'm betting Narcissa Malfoy wouldn't take no for an answer."

"You're right," Hermione told him, giving him a confused look. "How did you know that though?"

"Hannah and Neville stopped by," Harry told her. "They wanted to tell us about dinner with the Malfoys. They said Narcissa was very...grateful."

"Yes," Hermione replied, declining to comment further.

Ron opened his mouth again, likely to yell at Hermione, when Harry cut him off.

"We should fill you in on what you missed," Harry said, giving Ron a look. "George went back to his shop to try to work on the locator spell there but we have a lead on who may have killed Kingsley."

"What did you find?" Hermione asked.

"We found a safe under Kingsley's bed," Harry told her.

"What was someone doing under Kingsley's bed?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Katie is thorough," Harry said with a shrug. "And it's a good thing she was."

"Have you been able to open it?" Hermione asked.

"Not yet," Ron replied. "That's where the team is, trying to either figure out the combination or how to break in."

"Is it a standard combination lock safe?" Hermione questioned, thinking quickly. "About two feet tall, one foot across, with the dial offset from the center?"

"Merlin, Hermione, what are you psychic?" Ron asked, in awe.

"Tell them to try 15-9-8," Hermione said, excitedly.

Without questioning her, Harry sent a patronus with the numbers she suggested.

"Why that combination?" Harry asked, curiously.

"Blaise had the exact same kind of safe," Hermione explained. "Kingsley likely gave it to him so maybe the combination would be the same."

A moment later, a patronus in the form of a lemur appeared and shook its head before disappearing.

"I'll never get over that that's Seamus' patronus," Harry said, with a chuckle. "Looks like that's not the combination though."

"Damn," Hermione said. "I wonder what it could be."

"Well there's a whole team of Aurors trying to figure it out," Harry told her. "I'm sure we'll figure it out soon. How's your team?"

"I'm going to go check in on them now," Hermione replied. "Malfoy is coordinating a search of the town for Theo Nott, I want to check out the monitors to see if I can see anything. Maybe point Malfoy in the right direction."

"Why Nott?" Ron asked.

"He's gone missing," Hermione told them. "And we have a pretty good reason to believe that he's the one who poisoned the older Death Eaters."

"Any idea of motive?" Harry wanted to know.

"None," Hermione said, with a sigh. "Hopefully if we can find him, we can talk to him, and figure it out."

"Well we'll keep you in the loop and you do the same for us," Harry told her.

"Sounds good," Hermione replied, with a smile.

She turned and walked back into the control room. Susan and Millicent were exactly where she'd left them.

"What's going on in Asylum?" Hermione asked.

"It looks like there's some kind of search going on?" Susan told her. "They've been all over the streets and they seem now to be searching the outskirts."

"What are they looking for?" Millicent asked.

"Theo Nott," Hermione told them. "Can bring each camera up on the big screen? See if you can find him?"

"Of course," Susan said, moving toward the control panel.

They sat in silence, sifting through each camera angle, but to no avail.

"How can he just go missing?" Millicent wanted to know. "How is that possible?"

"We have more than a couple blind spots," Hermione pointed out. "It's possible he's hidden away in a bedroom or a bathroom."

"Well if he is, they'll find him soon enough," Susan said, pointing to one of the far screens. "It looks like they've begun searching door to door."

Hermione watched as Draco moved through the Nott home, with Nott, Senior close behind. It looked like Nott, Senior was shouting at him but Draco was just ignoring him. Hermione smiled to herself as she watched Draco move authoritatively through the house.

"Hermione?" Susan called, breaking Hermione's train of thought. "It looks like there's something wrong with Blaise?"

"Bring him up on the big screen," Hermione instructed, quickly.

She moved over to the screen and sure enough, Blaise was standing in the middle of his office jumping up and down in circles and waving his arms.

"What's wrong with him?" Millicent asked, alarmed.

"I think he's trying to get my attention," Hermione replied, with a chuckle. "But he doesn't know where in the room the camera is."

Hermione pulled her notebook out of her purse and scribbled Blaise a note. A moment later, he stopped jumping, picked up the note, and grinned.

"What did you write?" Susan asked.

"Top right of bookcase," Hermione said, with a laugh, pointing to the monitor where Blaise was now facing the right direction.

Blaise was holding up a pad of paper with writing on it.

"What does it say?" Susan wanted to know, squinting at the monitor.

"I have no idea," Hermione replied.

She wrote " _write bigger_ " on a piece of paper and watched as Blaise read it. He moved back to his desk, tore off the top piece of paper and wrote using broad pen strokes. Then he held up the pad again. Millicent gasped as they read what Blaise had written.

 _THEY'RE REMEMBERING_

* * *

A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!


	14. Chapter 13

"Who?" Hermione asked, outloud.

Then, remembering that he couldn't hear her, she wrote it on the piece of paper. A minute later, Blaise held up the pad of paper again.

Goyle, Flint, Greengrasses, Pucey

"All the younger Death Eaters," Hermione murmured. "The last ones Kingsley obliviated are the first ones to remember."

"What do we do?" Millicent asked, concerned.

"Nothing yet," Hermione said, as she scribbled another note to Blaise.

"What did you tell him?" Susan asked.

"To keep an eye on them," Hermione replied. "All of them."

"Hermione, is it time to…?" Millicent began but Hermione held up her hand and stopped her.

"Not yet," Hermione replied. "But soon. Get everyone here, I want us to make sure that the plan is foolproof before we spring it on the others."

"I'll get them," Susan told her. "It's almost time for the shift change so both Dennis and Padma should be here soon."

"Millicent, now that we know who's remembering, keep an eye on them," Hermione instructed as Susan left the room. "If they do anything out of the ordinary, let me know immediately. I'm going to run and fill in Ron and Harry then go back to Asylum."

With a nod, Millicent turned her back to Hermione and Hermione ran out of the room into the workspace. Harry and Ron had the evidence boxes from Kingsley's home spread out across several of the desks.

"I need to go back to Asylum," Hermione told them, rushing over. "Blaise just let me know that some of the younger Death Eaters are starting to remember. I need to go talk to him and find out who and what they remember."

"Hermione, it's getting late, did you even notice the time?" Harry asked. "Why don't you just go in the morning?"

"I need to find out as soon as possible," Hermione replied. "I'll just come back home whenever I'm done there."

"Why don't you just stay there?" Harry asked. "Stay in your house."

"No bedroom," Hermione reminded him.

"There is now," Harry replied, simply.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"It was only a matter of time before they started remembering," Harry said. "You're going to need to be on the ground there when they do. So I figured you might as well have somewhere to sleep. Ginny's been over there all day making your house an actual house."

"Harry Potter, I love you," Hermione said, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"You haven't seen what Ginny's done to your house yet," Harry said, grinning as he returned her hug. "You may not thank me after that."

"I'm sure it's fine," Hermione said, pulling back. "Thank you so much."

"And this means you don't have to stay with the Malfoys," Ron pointed out. "No need to go back into that snake pit."

"Yes, of course," Hermione said, ignoring the feeling of disappointment that caught her by surprise. "Anyway, I have to go! Bye!"

Hermione rushed out of the workspace and, within a few minutes found herself back in her house in Asylum. At least, it should have been her house in Asylum. Ginny had truly outdone herself, Hermione thought with a small laugh. The floors were a deep hardwood that gleamed, as she wandered through the house she saw gorgeous furniture, bright light fixtures, and even art on the walls. Hermione thought she heard music from upstairs. She ascended the winding staircase and followed the music into what she assumed was now her bedroom. A large bed was the only piece of furniture in the entire room. Ginny lay on the bed with her eyes shut, humming along to the music that was playing from a radio Hermione could see propped up on the window sill.

"Working hard, or hardly working?" Hermione asked, looking at her friend with a smile.

Ginny opened her eyes but didn't move. "I've exhausted myself," she said. "But your house looks fantastic if I do say so myself."

"It does," Hermione replied, gratefully. "Thank you, Ginny, for doing this."

"I'm happy to help," Ginny said, finally sitting up on the bed. "I thought this was probably all you'd need in your room. If you had any kind of company..."

"Company?" Hermione asked, pushing away thoughts of Draco in that room. On that bed. "What do you mean?"

"Oh please," Ginny answered, dismissively. "Hannah told me all about the vibes between you and Malfoy."

"There's nothing going on between us," Hermione said, unconvincingly. "Nothing at all."

"Is he still good looking?" Ginny wanted to know, ignoring Hermione's answer. "He may have been a complete and total ass at school but he was always good looking."

"Ginny," Hermione replied, helplessly but Ginny kept on going.

"I mean he's a bit blonde for my taste, but hey, whatever works for you!"

"Ginny," Hermione said, stopping her. "It would never work. He doesn't know who he is - he doesn't have his memories. As soon as he did, he'd remember that he hated me. I'd be taking advantage of him."

"If I didn't have Harry, I wouldn't mind taking advantage of him…" Ginny murmured as Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "What? I'm married not dead."

"Ginny,' Hermione said, weakly. "It wouldn't be right."

"So find a way to make it right," Ginny replied, with a shrug. "Even the playing field somehow."

"How would I do that?" Hermione wanted to know.

"I don't know," Ginny said, sliding off the bed and moving toward Hermione. "But if anyone can figure something like that out, it's you."

Ginny threw her arms around Hermione in a quick hug before releasing her.

"Now, I'm going to go home and take advantage of my husband if he's made it home," Ginny said, giving Hermione a grin. "I've put on a little weight and it's all gone to my breasts. Time to use it! Enjoy the room!"

Without giving Hermione the chance to respond, Ginny bounded out of the room and, a minute later, Hermione heard the whoosh of the portkey. With a shake of her heard, Hermione went back downstairs. She'd check in with Malfoy, she decided. See if they'd had any luck finding Theo. If not, she'd come back here and get some sleep. Hermione made her way down the street and, within minutes, raised her hand to lift the knocker on the door of the Malfoy home. Before she could knock, the door swung open and, to Hermione's surprise, Blaise was on the other side.

"Blaise!" Hermione exclaimed, giving him a quick hug. "How are you doing?"

"Just fine," Blaise said, with a smile. "I was actually hoping to run into you. Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Of course," Hermione replied, trying to look past Blaise to see if anyone was behind him.

"Draco is in his room," Blaise told her. "I was just leaving. We can talk here on the porch if you like then you can go in and see him."

"That's fine," Hermione said, giving him a smile. "What's going on?"

"All the younger Death Eaters are having significant memory return," Blaise told her. "They're frightened, they think they're having vivid dreams, and most of them seem to be fighting remembering."

"Fighting remembering?" Hermione asked. "What does that mean?"

"They don't want to remember," Blaise said. "They have good, simple, happy lives here and it seems they're fighting to hold onto that feeling and ignore anything that threatens that."

"What do they need?" Hermione wanted to know. "What can we do?"

"Ideally, I'd say you need to give them their memories back or perform a better memory charm," Blaise replied. "But if neither of those are possible, I think someone needs to talk to them and let them know what's happened."

"We can't do that," Hermione said, with a sigh. "Any of that. We can't give back their memories, another memory charm would possibly irreparably damage their brains, and we aren't ready to talk to them."

"What the hell are you going to do then?" Blaise asked. "The more they remember, the more of a danger they become not only to themselves but to each other and to this place as a whole."

"I know, I know," Hermione said, shaking her head. "But for now, I just need you to keep them talking to you and keep a close eye on them. That's the best we can do. Can you handle that?"

"Yes," Blaise told her, begrudgingly. "But I don't know how much longer me doing that will be enough. I hope you have a plan."

"I do," Hermione promised. "I just need more time."

"Okay," Blaise replied.

"What about Malfoy?" Hermione asked, trying to keep her tone neutral. "Is he remembering?"

"He has flashes," Blaise told her. "Most of his memories come to him as dreams. He doesn't like to talk about it though so I really don't know how much he knows."

"What about Pansy?" Hermione wanted to know. "She was obliviated right before you were supposed to be. Surely if the others are remembering, she is too."

"She hasn't said a word," Blaise said. "And knowing Pansy, she would. Maybe Kingsley's spell holds stronger on weaker minds."

"Maybe," Hermione murmured. "But maybe you should check in with her, just to be sure."

"I can do that," Blaise replied. "Anything else?"

"No," Hermione said. "But I'll be here tonight so if anything happens, come get me and we'll deal with it."

"Sounds good," Blaise answered. "Good luck, Hermione."

At that, Blaise walked off the porch, leaving Hermione behind. They were running out of time, she thought. They needed to find Theo sooner rather than later. It was likely he had more of his memories back than the others and perhaps that was leading to his actions. She needed answers and right now, Theo was the only person who might be able to provide them. She turned to ask Blaise about the search but he was already long gone. Hermione turned and knocked on the Malfoy front door. A couple minutes later, Draco appeared wearing nothing but pajama pants.

"Granger," Draco greeted, raising an eyebrow. "Care to come in?"

"No," Hermione said, cooly. "I just wanted to see if you'd found Theo."

"We couldn't find him anywhere," Draco replied, frustrated. "Wherever he is, he's doing an excellent job of hiding."

"Where did you check?" Hermione asked, curiously."

"Damn near everywhere," Draco told her. "We even went through most people's homes. Unsurprisingly Nott, Senior wouldn't let us in but Blaise and I snuck into Theo's room through an open window and it doesn't look like he's been there a couple days. There's a few more places along the woods we could probably check but it got dark so we called it a night."

"Well I better call it a night as well," Hermione said, taking a step back as Draco took a step forward.

"Come inside, Granger," he requested. "I'm sure my mother would insist that you stay here."

"I recently had the house fixed up," Hermione told him, taking another step back. "I'll be staying there. Goodnight."

With that, she walked as calmly and quickly away from him as she could. She turned and saw him standing in the doorway, his eyes following her. She ignored the naked desire in his eyes and turned her back to him. She quickly went down the street and into her house. She went upstairs and noticed a small dresser that hadn't been there before. On top of it was a note that read: _Thought you might like some of your clothes - Ginny_. With a smile, Hermione opened the top drawer and her mouth dropped open. It was filled with lacy underwear and lingerie.

"Ginerva Molly Weasley!" she exclaimed, slamming the door shut.

She quickly opened the second drawer and was relieved to find leggings and t-shirts along with another note that was simply a piece of paper with a heart drawn on it. With a shake of her head, she pulled out a pair of black leggings and a red Gryffindor t-shirt. She changed clothes and slid into the bed. Draco was the last thing she thought of as she drifted off to sleep.

She couldn't breathe. There was a hand over her mouth, something over her body, and she couldn't breathe. Hermione's eyes shot open, thinking she'd been dreaming, but she immediately realized she hadn't.

"Don't scream," a harsh voice whispered next to her ear. "I'll take my hand off your mouth if you promise not to scream."

Hermione nodded as her heart pounded in her chest. The hand was removed and the body lifted off of hers. She sat up and, through the moonlight, was able to make out a form at the end of her bed. Her wand was under her pillow, she knew. She always slept with it there, a habit from the war she'd never managed to break. All she had to do was…

 _Stupefy_ \- the spell came and all of a sudden she was frozen sitting up. Stupid, she'd thought, cursing herself. Of course whoever it was would know she would go for her wand. But Hermione had begun to teach herself wandless magic. No time like the present to try it. She focused but her concentration was broken when the figure moved toward her again. As her eyes adjusted, Hermione could finally make out the face of the person in her room.

"You need to listen," Theo said, his face close to hers. "You need to fucking listen."

Hermione sat quietly, working through the counter spell, as Theo began to pace.

"I've been having dreams," he said, running his hands over his face as he walked the length of the room. "But they're real. Voldemort, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, the Death Eaters, all of it. It happened, didn't it? Didn't it?"

"Theo," Hermione said, cautiously, watching as his head snapped towards hers. She kept her eyes on his as her hand closed around her wand. "Theo, you need to calm down."

"How did you?" he began to ask but stopped. "Of course you removed the spell. Of course."

"Theo, let me help you," she said, but was cut off when he began to laugh, maniacally.

"Help? HELP?" he shrieked, staring at her. "That's all anyone wants to do. All they want to do is help me. I didn't want help before and I don't want your help now."

"Who tried to help you before?" Hermione asked, suddenly alerted to what he was saying.

"No one can help," Theo continued, beginning to pace again. "No one can help because I'm a Death Eater, the mark is gone from my arm, but I know it was there, I remember it being there. I remember it."

"We removed the mark," Hermione said, calmly. "I figured out a way to do it about six months after you all moved here."

Theo suddenly stopped pacing and stared out the window. "I didn't do it, you know," he said, sounding almost dazed. "I didn't poison them, I really thought it was Blaise. I thought he wanted to kill them all. I don't want to kill them all."

"I believe you," Hermione told him. "Theo, I believe you and you need to let me help you."

Theo turned his gaze away from the window and looked Hermione dead in the eye. A sneer came over his face. "I remember. I remember you, you filthy fucking mudblood. _Avada_ -"

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione shouted, whipping her wand out from under the pillow and catching Theo's wand in her hand as it soared away from him.

"You mudblood bitch!" he screamed, lunging at her. "I'll fucking kill you."

Before she could react, he was on top of her. He grabbed her by the hair and knocked her head against the headboard while twisting her arm that had his wand over her head. He released her arm with his wand and managed to land a couple of blows before Hermione sent him flying off her. He crashed into the wall of her bedroom and slumped to the floor unconscious. With a sob, Hermione cast a quick binding spell and, after making sure the ropes were secure. She ran from her house, both wands in hand. She ran blindly and, without thinking, found herself at the Malfoy's door. She could feel the tears streaming down her face and her body began to shake as the adrenaline that had fueled her left her body. She managed to raise the knocker and wrapped her arms around her body, holding herself together. The door opened a minute later and a disheveled, agitated Draco Malfoy was on the other side.

"Granger, what the hell-" he started to say, before he took a good look at her. "Granger, what the hell happened to you?"

"Theo," she managed to sob, before she felt her legs give out from under her.

She would have hit the floor if Draco hadn't stepped forward and caught her. He easily lifted her into his arms and carried her into his home, kicking the door shut behind him. Without hesitation, he carried her upstairs and into his bedroom. He set her down on his bed and sat down next to her.

"Granger, you need to tell me what happened," he said, urgently. "What do you mean Theo?"

Hermione took a deep breath to steady herself before explaining everything that happened. She watched as Draco's fists clenched when she described how Theo had attacked her.

"Did he hurt you?" Draco wanted to know, keeping his fists in his lap.

"He just scared me," Hermione told him, reaching out and covering his clenched fists with her hand. "I'm okay."

"I'm going to kill him," Draco seethed, wrenching his hands away from Hermione and standing next to the bed, looking down at her. "I'll fucking kill him."

"Draco, no," Hermione said, firmly, rising as well. "What we need to do is arrest him and leave the board to deal with him. That's the right thing to do."

"You think I give a shit about the right thing to do?" Draco shouted.

Before Hermione could respond, Draco's door flew opened and both Lucius and Narcissa were in the doorway.

"Language," Narcissa said, mildly. "And do stop shouting."

"Mother-" Draco started to reply but stopped when his father shook his head.

"Ms. Granger, we've called Sheriff Goyle and sent him to your home to fetch young Mr. Nott," Lucius said, his expression giving away nothing. "I assure you the matter will be handled."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione said, cautiously. "I'd like to speak to him if possible."

"He'll be placed under arrest immediately," Narcissa told her. "No one will be able to speak to him until the morning of his hearing, which will likely be tomorrow."

"I'd like Blaise to take a look at him," Hermione replied, changing course. "I believe Theo was suffering from a mental breakdown and I think Blaise should evaluate him."

"He's not crazy," Draco snapped, in response. "He knew what he was doing when he went into your home probably the same way he knew what he was doing when he framed Blaise and poisoned all those people."

"I'll take it to the board," Narcissa said, with a tone of finality. "Ms. Granger, we'll be in touch with you in the morning."

Narcissa gave Draco a look before exiting his room, followed closely by Lucius. Hermione watched as Draco walked over to his bedroom door and closed it. He locked it and put up a silencing charm.

"I should get going," Hermione began but was cut off almost immediately.

"Out of the question," Draco told her, firmly. "You're staying here."

"Malfoy, you're being unreasonable," Hermione replied. "It's my home and I'd like to go back."

"You WANT to go back?!" Draco asked, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. "Five minutes ago you were collapsed on the porch and now you want to go back there?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, raising her chin in challenge. "It's my home, I won't be run out of my own home."

Draco strode toward her and was about to shout but stopped. Hermione looked at him curiously as his eyes widened as he looked at her arms. She looked down and saw that bruises had begun to form where Theo had grabbed her. In fact, she could see a mark where each individual finger had been. Seeing the marks, she could all of a sudden feel his hands on her again and she slid off the bed onto the floor. Draco was next to her in an instant, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her. Hermione didn't cry but she let herself be held and, as he did, the fear that had come back seeped out of her.

"Stay," he whispered quietly. "I'll sleep in the chair. Just stay."

"Okay," she whispered back. "Okay."

But neither of them moved as Draco continued to hold her and Hermione tried desperately to hold onto her rationality and ignore the wonderful feeling of being held by Draco Malfoy. With a sigh, Hermione pulled away and Draco released her. He stood and helped her to her feet. She made the mistake of looking up at him and when brown met grey, she felt the pull between them. Draco's eyes dropped to her lips and after the briefest pause, closed the distance between them. He kissed her lightly, his lips floating over hers, barely touching her but at the same time she could feel them there. For a moment she forgot and she moved in, putting more pressure into the kiss. She felt his arms tighten around her waist and she slid her arms up his chest and around his neck. His mouth slanted over hers and she welcomed his tongue into her mouth. Draco's mouth left hers and began to trail down her neck. When he drew back, she opened her eyes in confusion only to see him pressing light kisses down the bruises on her right arm. He moved to switch arms when Hermione yanked her left arm away from him as reality came crashing back down. He looked at her, confused, and Hermione felt tears well into her eyes. _Mudblood_ was carved into that arm. She'd never been able to remove it and it stood as a stark reminder of everything that had happened; everything Draco couldn't remember. Sensing something was wrong, Draco drew her into his arms into an embrace. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around him.

"Come on," Draco said, quietly, releasing her.

He turned and pulled the covers back on the bed. "In you go."

Hermione hesitated but she was suddenly hit by a wave of exhaustion. She climbed into the bed and Draco pulled the covers up to her chin. He gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be over there if you need me," Draco said, pointing to a small armchair that looked terribly uncomfortable for someone of Hermione's size let alone someone of Draco's size.

Ignoring logic and reason, Hermione pushed the covers back and slid over in the bed. Draco gave her a questioning look but, when she nodded, got into the bed too. He laid down so he was facing the ceiling and Hermione rolled over so that her back was to him. The silence enveloped them.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly a few minutes, without turning over. "For everything. You didn't have to do this."

When Draco didn't answer, she rolled onto her other side, thinking he'd fallen asleep. Instead, he'd managed to silently move onto his side so that now they were facing each other. Draco reached out and caressed her face.

"I care," Draco said, quietly. "I did have to do this."

Hermione felt a physical pain in her heart at his words. "I care too," she said, honestly, refusing to think of all the possible consequences of admitting that to him. "But I can't do this."

"We'll talk about it in the morning," Draco said, opening his arms to her in invitation for her to snuggle in close to him. "You can tell me whatever it is that's making you apprehensive and we'll talk it out. I'll tell you everything that's wrong with me and you'll forgive me for it. It'll even out and you can stop running away from me."

"Even the playing field," Hermione murmured, an idea forming in her mind.

She moved into his arms and sighed as they closed around her. Tomorrow everything would go to hell, she knew. But at least for tonight, they'd have this. She closed her eyes and let the sound of Draco's heartbeat lull her to sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, she woke up alone. Hermione took a moment to breathe in his scent, listen to him shuffle around the bathroom, the way the light filtered into the room. She wanted to capture it all in her memory before she destroyed it. She knew when she'd awoken what she was going to do. When Draco came out of the bathroom and smiled at her, she knew it was the right thing to do. As he walked over to the bed, she sat up. He slid into the bed next to her and looked at her curiously. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. It was time to tell him the truth.

* * *

A/N: Is the truth REALLY the best thing here?! What's Hermione thinking?!


	15. Chapter 14

The truth, however, would have to wait. Before Hermione could speak, there was a knock at the door. Draco gave her an apologetic look before moving to the door. He opened the door a little and spoke quietly with whoever was on the other side. Hermione watched as his whole body tensed.

"No, I'll tell her," she heard him say sharply.

Then a moment later, apologetically, "yes ma'am."

With a sigh, Draco closed the door and returned to the bed. He sat next to Hermione and took her hands in his.

"They found Theo," he told her.

"That's great," Hermione replied.

"There's more," he said, hesitantly. "They didn't find him at your house."

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"When Goyle got to your house last night, Theo wasn't there," Draco told her. "But they found him this morning."

"Well at least they found him," Hermione said, but paused when she caught the look on Draco's face. "Where did they find him?"

"Granger," Draco replied, looking down at their joined hands.

"Malfoy, just tell me," she urged.

"They found him in the middle of the town," Draco said, resigned. "Granger, he's dead."

"Dead?" Hermione repeated, stunned. "How?"

"Granger," he said, warningly.

"Just tell me," she demanded. "Tell me what you know."

"His throat was slit," Draco replied. "And he had something sliced into his stomach. A word."

Hermione felt her heart slam against her ribs. "What word?" she asked. When Draco didn't answer, she asked again, louder. "What word?"

"Asylum," Draco told her and Hermione felt her stomach drop. "We don't know what it means but Greg is already working on figuring it out."

"I know what it means," Hermione said, quietly.

Draco looked at her with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Malfoy," she began but stopped, pulled her hands out of his, and started again. "Draco, I have some things I need to tell you."

"Okay?" Draco said, apprehensively. "What is it?"

"I need you to promise to listen," Hermione replied. "I need you to promise to listen until I'm done. Then, when I'm done, I'll go."

"You'll go?" Draco asked. "Gran-Hermione, whatever it is, we can deal with it. I won't want you to go anywhere."

"You'll change your mind," Hermione said, gravely. "When you hear everything I have to say."

"Well let's hear it," Draco replied. "And I'll decide that for myself."

"Okay," Hermione answered. "I'm not even sure where to start."

"What's Asylum?" Draco asked. "And why would someone carve it into Theo?"

"Asylum is the name of this town," Hermione replied. "It's the name that we gave it when we created it three years ago. We made this town to keep you safe."

"Right," Draco said. "I remember from the little orientation you did. We were on the wrong side of some war and people wanted us dead."

"There's a little more to it than that," Hermione explained. "I told you that you'd been the victims of the war and that you were here for your protection, that was only partially true."

"Okay…" Draco said, when Hermione paused. "So what's the truth?"

Slowly, with a lot of pauses, Hermione explained. She started with the beginning, the very beginning, with the first fall of Voldemort, continuing with everything that had happened through their years at Hogwarts, all the way through to the Battle of Hogwarts. She refused to look at him, staring intently at the sheets. About halfway through her story, she felt him get up from the bed and she could hear him pacing. She pushed forward and kept going until she'd explained it all. Asylum, Kingsley's murder, and every step of Harry and Ron's investigation. She told him everything and anything she could think of that he might want to know. When she was done, she sat in silence with tears streaming down her face. For several minutes, she sat, immobile and she listened but didn't hear anything out of Draco.

"I remember," Draco said, his tone void of all emotion. "Not everything, not all of it, but I remember some of what you've said. I thought it was bad dreams."

"It was your memories coming back to you," Hermione told him, still not looking up.

Finally, she couldn't stand it any more and she looked up at him. He had his back to her but she could see his body was tense and he had his hands over his face.

"How long?" he asked. "How long until I remember everything you've just said."

"I don't know," Hermione told him, honestly. "But probably sooner rather than later."

"You don't know?" he scoffed, lowering his hands and clenching them into fists. "Seems to me like you have everything all planned out."

Then he turned around and she saw the rage mixed with hurt on his face.

"So where did I fit into your grand plan, Granger?" he asked, nastily. "Is this payback for the years of torture? For the war? For what my aunt did to your arm?"

"No!" she exclaimed, horrified. "Malfoy, you have to believe me, I never intended for this to happen."

"I don't have to believe anything you tell me," he snapped back. "You've lied to me from the first minute that I met you."

"I had to," Hermione pleaded. "You have to understand. Everything that I did, I did was to protect everyone here. I did it so I could help."

"I don't understand anything," Draco said, walking over and throwing his bedroom door open. "You took that away from me when you stole my memories and locked me and everyone I know in this place. Get out."

Hermione scrambled out of the bed, grabbing her things as quickly as she could while the tears burned her eyes. She rushed past him but turned when she was in the hallway.

"I'm sorry, Draco," she said, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry."

Draco slammed the bedroom door in response.

Hermione fled from the Malfoy residence, not stopping when she heard Narcissa call her name. She ran all the way back to her house and, as soon as she was inside, she collapsed onto the floor in tears. Suddenly she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and for a moment, she thought Draco had come for her. But she opened her eyes and saw Ginny's kind face instead.

"What happened?" Ginny asked, rubbing Hermione's back. "What's wrong?"

"I told him," Hermione said, wiping her eyes. "I told Malfoy everything. I evened the playing field. And he threw me out."

"Oh honey," Ginny replied, wrapping her arms around her again. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"I did the right thing," Hermione told her. "I know I did the right thing. But I really liked him."

"I know you did," Ginny answered. "And I wish there was time to talk more about this but I need to get you back to the museum."

"The museum?" Hermione asked, pushing aside her grief. "What's happened?"

"They opened the safe," Ginny told her. "They want you to take a look at what they found."

"Okay," Hermione said, pushing to her feet.

She cast a quick glamour charm to hide the fact that she'd been crying. She looked to Ginny for approval and, when Ginny nodded, she did her best to push Draco out of her mind. That was done, she thought. Before it had really even started. She couldn't fix what happened with them but she could help figure out who killed her friend.

"Do you have a portkey?" Hermione asked. "I only have one left."

"I do," Ginny said, pulling a coin from her pocket. "Ready?"

"Let's go," Hermione confirmed, placing her hand on the coin.

Ginny activated the portkey and, a minute later, they were back at the museum. Ginny and Hermione quickly went into the museum and into the workspace. The Auror team was standing around one of the work tables, excitedly talking over one another. Hermione and Ginny walked over and joined them at the table.

"What have you found?" Hermione asked, causing all the heads in the room to turn and look at her.

"Letters," Ron told her, holding up a piece of paper. "Threatening letters."

"What do they say?" Ginny asked, reaching for the letter Ron was holding.

"The basic gist of all of them is this person knows about Asylum, they're threatening to release all the Death Eaters and bring revenge onto the wizarding world," Harry said. "None of them have postage so it looks like they were probably dropped off by hand."

"How did someone find where Kingsley lived, though?" Hermione questioned. "That's not information that's easy to find."

"They didn't," Harry said, holding up an envelope. "All addresses to 'the creator of Asylum.' Kingsley probably had someone in the mail room at the Ministry of Magic directly to his office so no one else saw them. It's easy to find the Ministry of Magic."

"So who wrote the letters?" Ginny wanted to know.

"We haven't figured that out yet," Ron said, regretfully. "We were hoping Hermione might be able to look at the language of the letters and see if there's anything she could tell us about the writer."

"Of course," Hermione said. "I just need to check in on my team, quickly. Can someone copy the letters, word for word, all in one place?"

"Of course," Harry replied. "We'll get it done right away."

Hermione moved quickly into the control room. She checked in on her team and, after finding that they were fine and they didn't have anything new to report, she returned to the workspace. When she did, she found the contents of the letters had been copied onto a giant whiteboard that had, until this point, been against the wall.

"Hope it's okay we grabbed that," Ron said. "We thought it would be the easiest way to fit all the text."

"This is great," Hermione assured him. "Let me see what we've got."

Hermione stood quietly, reading over the text of the letters. After a few minutes, she turned to find the group of Aurors looking at her expectantly.

"I can't tell you much," Hermione admitted. "Other than whoever wrote this seems to know nearly as much as we do about Asylum. Which limits the number of people this letter could be from. I can also tell you that whoever wrote this is well educated. You can tell from the language and structure of the sentences they have formal education."

"Anything else?" Ron asked. "You haven't really told us anything more than we already knew."

"This confirms that we're looking at a small group of people," Harry said, cutting in before Hermione could snap at Ron. "We need to talk to everyone who was in that meeting three years ago. See if anyone let it slip after too much firewhiskey or anything like that."

"That's going to be a difficult conversation to have," Ginny pointed out. "Especially since most of that group is family or pretty damn close to it."

"What if it wasn't one of us?" Hermione asked, thinking out loud.

"How's that even possible?" Ron asked, curiously. "Imperius or something?"

"We're forgetting another group of people who know the details of Asylum," Hermione said.

"The actual residents," Harry chimed in, thoughtfully. "But that seems unlikely."

"But it's not impossible," Hermione replied. "What if one of them got their memories back? And they were smart enough to hide it and we had no idea?"

"How would they have gotten out of Asylum though?" Seamus asked. "From what Harry's said, you guys put an insane amount of protective spells around the town, focused both on keeping them in and keeping people out."

"Magic is fallible," Hermione told him with a shrug. "Plus there were so many different people of different magical abilities casting those spells. Maybe there's a weak point somewhere and whoever it is found it."

"So they what, snuck in and out of Asylum?" Dean questioned. "Why go back once they're out?"

"Because if they knew we were watching, then they'd know to keep it under wraps they'd have to always go back," Hermione explained.

"This is sounding more and more plausible," Ron admitted. "But if it is someone from inside Asylum, how do we figure out who it is?"

"There has to be something in the letter that gives them away," Hermione said, turning back to the board. "Thank you, by the way, whoever wrote this for me."

"Katie did," Ron told her. "Her penmanship is better than the rest of ours."

Ron's response was met with laughter from the rest of the group.

"Thank y-" Hermione started to say then stopped. "Repeat what you just said, Ron."

"The joke isn't funny if I repeat it," Ron replied.

"You said her penmanship is better than the rest," Hermione said, staring at the board before whirling around. "Let me see what was sent to Kingsley!" she demanded, excitedly.

Harry handed her the envelope which she looked at then tossed aside. "There's not enough writing on it," she told him. "I need to see the actual letters."

Harry reached over to the table and picked up two of the letters. He handed them to Hermione and, she looked at them closely. She looked at the first letter, made a small noise, then looked at the second. She looked back at the first then looked up at the group.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, urgently. "What do you see?"

"I recognize the handwriting," Hermione told them. "Pansy Parkinson wrote these letters."

"Pansy?" Katie repeated, shocked. " Pansy Parkinson?"

"How do you know what her handwriting looks like?" Ron wanted to know.

"I saw a note she wrote Malfoy," Hermione said, dismissively. "It's her handwriting through, I know it."

"So Pansy is our criminal mastermind?" Harry asked, in disbelief. "That just seems so...unlikely. Maybe Theo Nott made her do it. Isn't he missing? That makes far more sense to me than Pansy."

"Harry, I'm telling you she's the one who sent these letters," Hermione replied. "Besides, Theo Nott is dead. Someone carved Asylum into his stomach. Want to take a guess on who? We need to get Pansy Parkinson out of Asylum immediately. She must have her memories back. Who knows what she's capable of."

"Okay, we need at least two Aurors to go in and get her," Harry said, rubbing his temples. "We also need to extract her without anyone else knowing what's happening."

"Don't you also need to know what's happening with a certain wand?" George Weasley asked, walking into the workspace.

"What have you got?" Harry asked, quickly turning to George.

"This," George said, holding up a small white box as he walked over to the group.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"No idea," George replied. "But it came out of Kingsley's safe and whatever it is, it's sealed with magic, presumably Kingsley's magic. As long as he used his wand to seal it, the magical signature should be the same and we should be able to use this to find his wand."

"Let's do it," Hermione said, urgently. "Then two of you can come with me to Asylum and the rest can go and get the wand."

George kept the box in his left hand and, with his wand in his right, muttered the incantation, while waiving his right hand. When the incantation was complete, he touched the box with his wand, then touched the red push pin. The pin shot into the air like it had before but this time it short directly back down and pinned itself onto a spot on the map.

"Bloody hell," Ron said. "It worked!"

"Well," George said, sliding the map over to where Harry, Hermione and Ron could see it. "Where's the wand?"

They bent over the map and, when Hermione realized where the pin had fallen her stomach dropped.

"Shit," Harry swore.

"What?" Dean asked, trying to look at the map. "Where's the wand?"

"Asylum," Hermione said, quietly, staring at the map.

"What does that mean?" Ron asked, in horror.

"It means we've run out of time," Hermione replied. "We need to get them all out, now."

"We aren't ready to get them all out," Harry told her, panicked. "We don't have a plan in place for this. This wasn't ever supposed to happen."

"I have a plan in place," Hermione said. "My team and I have spent nearly every day working on it since we first created Asylum."

"Hermione, I could kiss you," Harry replied, gratefully. "What's the plan? What do you need?"

"The plan is simple," Hermione said. "We interview each one, using veritaserum maxima if we have to, explaining to them everything that's happened, and if we get Kingsley's wand, we give them back their memories."

"So far, this is the worst plan ever," Ron cut in. "You can't be serious."

"I'm not done," Hermione replied, patiently. "Every single person is given a choice, they get to re-join the wizarding world with probation-like conditions for a period of time, they go to Azkaban, or they stay in Asylum. Whatever they choose, we do."

"Hermione, there are two huge flaws in your plan," Harry pointed out. "1) we already tried putting them in Azkaban, they escaped three times. 2) the wizarding world thinks they're all dead, how the hell do we explain them coming back?"

"Azkaban is much more secure today than it was three years ago," Hermione reminded him. "The dementors are gone, stronger spells are in place, and there's individual cells for every single offender. That was one of the first things that Kingsley did after we created Asylum. As for the wizarding world, aren't you tired of lying? We could tell the truth. Or we could just leave them to live in peace in Asylum. We'll give them access to the real world so oversight wouldn't be needed anymore. The point is, we give them a choice."

"We gave them a choice before," Ron argued. "Why the hell do they get one now?"

"They never had a choice," Hermione retorted. "It was Azkaban or nothing. None of them were ever given the opportunity to live in the wizarding world."

"They had tolerance classes, we allowed them brief visits to Diagon Alley, and we even let them spend time together," Ron threw back. "They fucked it all up."

"All within the confines of Azkaban," Hermione said. "Where we told them we would place them and throw away the key. Give them a chance to rebuild their lives and some of them just might take it. And the ones that don't, fine, you can put them in Azkaban and throw away the key. But it's not fair to do that to all of them. They deserve this chance."

"Okay," Harry said, holding up his hand to stop the argument. "I've heard enough. Ron, I need you to go to your father. Tell him we're transferring all the residents of Asylum to Azkaban."

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, but Harry kept going.

"They will be interviewed there under veritaserum maxima by two different members of the counsel," Harry continued. "If both members are satisfied with the answers given and the choice made by the Death Eater, it will be implemented."

"That's not good enough," Hermione argued. "You still aren't giving them a choice."

"This is as good you're going to get," Harry told her. "Hermione you see too much good in these people, it's clouded your judgment."

"And you see too much bad," Hermione countered. "It's clouded yours."

"So then between all of us, then, maybe we can see someone for who they truly are and what they truly want," Harry reasoned.

Hermione looked around the room for support but found none.

"I still think this is too good for them," Ron pointed out. "If anyone wants my vote."

"We know how you feel, Ron" Harry said, wearily. "This is the compromise."

"Fine," Ron replied, turning his heel. "I'll get my father and we'll meet everyone at Azkaban."

Ron went to walk out of the room when Dennis came sprinting out of the control room.

"They're down," Dennis shouted, stopping in front of the group, his eyes wild. "They're down."

"Who's down?" Hermione asked, sharply. "Dennis, who's down?"

"Not who," Dennis told her. "What. The cameras are down."

"What?!" Hermione exclaimed, pushing past Dennis and running into the control room.

Sure enough, Hermione entered to find all the screens dark with Millicent and Susan frantically at the control board.

"What happened?" Hermione snapped, moving toward the control board.

Susan and Millicent immediately stepped aside to let her through.

"We don't know," Millicent said. "The picture shook for a moment and then they all went out, all at once."

"Shit, shit, shit," Hermione swore, as she tried to get the cameras running again from the control board.

"Something is wrong with the actual cameras," Dennis said. "There's nothing we can do from here."

"What could cause this?" Hermione asked. "Dennis, these cameras are your invention, what could have caused this?"

"They run on electricity," Dennis told her. "So maybe there was a power surge or something nearby?"

"Or someone caused a power surge," Hermione said.

Hermione ran from the control room back out into the workspace, every member of her team following close behind.

"All the cameras are down," she told the room. "Someone knocked them out. We need to get everyone to Asylum NOW."

"Hermione, we have no idea what we're walking into," Harry said. "Without your cameras, we're essentially going in blind."

"Fine, you stay here," Hermione replied. "But I'm going."

"Damn it, Hermione," Harry swore, wincing under the withering glare he received from both Hermione and Ginny. "Okay, okay, we're going in. Ginny, you're deputized. Hermione, your team is deputized as well. We go in as a group, all at the same time. Everyone get a partner and you stick to that partner no matter what. Understood?"

"Understood," they chimed.

"Here," Harry said, handing out portkeys. "These will transport us into Hermione's house. We leave as a group and we'll come up with a plan of attack as we go."

Everyone nodded in response.

"Okay," Harry sighed. "Let's go."

At his word, everyone except Hermione touched their portkeys. She stood for another second, bracing herself to see Draco again, praying he was still there. With a silent oath, she closed her eyes, touched her portkey and was swept away to Asylum.

* * *

A/N: Everything has gone to hell :D

Also trying desperately to post the rest of this story AND the one shot I wrote before school starts while simultaneously getting ready for school to start. AH!


	16. Chapter 15

When Hermione opened her eyes, she saw everyone standing in her kitchen. Harry gave her a questioning look and she shook her head to let him know she was fine. Harry nodded in response before speaking.

"Hermione and I will go in first," Harry said. "There's no sense in alarming the entire town if just one person has their memories. You stay here until you receive my patronus. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone murmured their assent and Harry looked to Hermione. "Lead the way."

Hermione made her way through the group and to her front door. She looked at Harry who gave her a nod and she pushed open the door. The first thing she noticed was the town looked completely deserted. No one was in the street, she couldn't hear any noise, and the air seemed still.

"This doesn't look good," Harry commented, raising his wand. "Keep alert."

Hermione raised her own wand in response. They stepped out onto her porch and began to walk down the street.

"Let's go to Blaise's first," Hermione suggested. "He may be able to help."

"How do you know he's not the one with the wand?" Harry wanted to know. "And how do we know he's not the one telling Pansy what to do?"

"Kingsley trusted him," Hermione replied, with a shrug. "And so do I."

When they arrived in front of Blaise's home, Hermione knocked on the door. The door swung open almost immediately, revealing a very frazzled looking Blaise.

"Hermione, thank Merlin!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arm and pulling her inside.

He waited until Harry had followed before shutting the door. He quickly locked the door with his hand, then put up a locking spell as well. He then paused and added another, stronger locking spell.

"Zabini, what the hell?" Harry asked, pointing his wand at the man.

"For Merlin's sake Potter, put the wand down," Blaise replied, exasperated. "It's not you I'm interested in keeping inside."

"Blaise, what's going on?" Hermione questioned, urgently. "Who are you keeping inside?"

"About ten minutes ago, Greg Goyle showed up at my door." Blaise began, moving through the house with Harry and Hermione close behind. "He said Nott, Senior showed up at his door and a second later, he remembered everything. He was confused and frightened and came here."

"Shit," Harry said.

"I said something along those lines," Blaise replied. "But he was only the first. He was followed shortly by Daphne, Astoria, Adrian, and Marcus. Every single one of them had their memories back."

"Whoever has the wand is working their way through the town and returning people's memories," Hermione said, looking to Harry.

"Nott, Senior is who they all saw," Blaise supplied. "I have no idea where he is though."

"Not Pansy," Harry said, looking at Hermione.

"Where is Pansy?" Hermione asked.

"I have no idea," Blaise told her. "No one else came here and I figured it was better to keep these guys safe. They came to me. I thought that said something about them."

"What did you do with them?" Harry asked.

At this point, they'd reached a door at the bottom of Blaise's basement stairs.

"They only think I could think of," Blaise, said, opening the door.

Hermione and Harry stepped into the room and saw Greg, Daphne, Astoria, Adrian, and Marcus sprawled on the floor of the basement.

"What did you do to them?" Harry asked, looking at them.

"Dreamless sleep draught," Blaise told them. "They were all upset, I gave them tea, and slipped it into their tea."

"You drugged them?" Harry said, looking at Blaise in awe.

"What the hell else was I supposed to do?" Blaise asked, defensively.

"Zabini, I've never had more respect for you than this moment right now," Harry told him.

"This is a lovely moment the two of you are having," Hermione interrupted. "But we need to know what happened to everyone else. Harry, we need to get the team out here and do a full sweep."

"Yes we do," Harry agreed.

He waved his wand and sent his patronus away with instructions to do a full sweep.

"I better go outside and do it with them," Harry said. "Hermione, it would be great if you could come with my team since they know you here."

"That's fine," Hermione replied. "Blaise, do you mind staying here with them?"

"I'd prefer it," Blaise told her. "As far as I know, no one has tried to return my memories so I think I'm better off here."

"Okay," Hermione answered. "Stay safe. We'll come back here once we've secured the town."

Hermione and Harry rushed out of Blaise's basement, then his house, stopping only to allow Hermione to take down the spells Blaise had put up and to put up wards of her own. When she was done, she saw the Auror team and her team speaking with Harry. She joined the group in time to hear Harry finishing explaining what Blaise had told them.

"So where do we start?" Ron asked.

"We need to go house by house," Hermione said. "I think we can safely assume everyone has their memories back so I can't imagine they'll be surprised to see us."

"Let's split into teams of three," Harry instructed. "Stun them, knock them out, do whatever you have to in order to incapacitate them."

"What do we do with them when they're down?" Seamus asked.

"Place this in their hand," Ron said, passing out portkeys. "Activate it and they will be transported to Azkaban. My father is there with the guard wizards."

"Okay, Dean you,-" Harry began but stopped when a loud bang reverberated throughout the town.

"What the hell was that?" Ron shouted, as everyone except Hermione looked around wildly with their wands raised.

"That was the wards breaking," Hermione said, horrified.

"The wards breaking?!" Ron exclaimed. "How the hell can they do that?"

"They have their memories and their wands," Hermione replied, thinking quickly. "A number of them were powerful wizards."

"We need to stop them," Harry said. "I want every single person on this team searching for them."

"They only broke the wards in one place," Hermione told them. "If they'd broken all the wards, we would have seen it. But the loud bang means they found a weak spot and blew it open."

"Where would that be?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Hermione replied. "But there's a good chance that, when they broke the wards, there will be a small amount of damage to the surrounding area."

"Would smoke indicate damage?" Dennis asked, pointing beyond the last house on the street where smoke was billowing.

"My team, with me, now!" Harry shouted and they ran toward the smoke.

"What do you want us to do?" Millicent asked.

"Millicent, I want you with me," Hermione ordered. "We're going to check the rest of the houses. Dennis, Susan, and Padma, I need you to go to the third house on the left. You'll have to remove the wards I placed to get in; I used phase 2 wards. Blaise Zabini is inside with a number of unconscious residents. Transport all of them to Azkaban and, when you're done, bring Blaise out here. Go!"

Hermione's team split as Dennis, Susan, and Padma ran down the street with Hermione and Millicent moving toward the first house. They moved systematically house by house, casting a spell that would indicate if there was any living person. House by house, they cast the spell but receiving a negative, blue puff of smoke. Finally, they stopped in front of the Malfoy home. Hermione took a deep breath and cast the spell. A moment later, a purple puff of smoke appeared.

"Someone is in there," Millicent said, shocked.

"Wands ready," Hermione told her, raising her own and trying her damndest to ignore her pounding heart.

Hermione moved in front of Millicent and pushed open the front door. Hermione and Millicent swept the first floor of the home and found no one. Hermione motioned to Millicent for her to follow her upstairs. They quickly but silently ascended the stairs. Hermione stopped in front of the door she knew to be Narcissa and Lucius' room. She looked back to Millicent and, when Millicent gave her a nod, she threw open the bedroom door. They rushed into the room but stopped short. Hermione couldn't help her jaw drop when she observed Narcissa Malfoy, sitting calmly in a chair at the far end of the room sewing, with Lucius unconscious on the bed and Draco unconscious on the floor. Narcissa looked up from her sewing at Hermione and Millicent.

"You could have knocked, dear" Narcissa scolded.

"I-, uh, sorry?" Hermione stammered but quickly pulled herself together. "Narcissa, what's going on?"

"Draco told me everything once you left," Narcissa said, rising from her chair. "He did a great deal of shouting."

"I can imagine he was very angry," Hermione said, quietly, not meeting Millicent or Narcissa's eyes.

"While he was shouting, Ted Nott showed up at our door and returned our memories," Narcissa continued. "He asked us to join him and I told him we'd be along shortly."

"So what are you doing here?" Hermione asked, confused.

"I love my husband and I love my son," Narcissa said, simply. "So I stunned them both and warded the door to allow only you or anyone accompanied by you into our home."

"I don't understand," Hermione said. "Surely your husband and son would have wanted to go with Mr. Nott."

"It's possible," Narcissa replied, with an elegant shrug. "But it wasn't a decision that I was going to allow them to make. The decisions they made led to us being prisoners in this Merlin-forsaken town. Surely you can understand why I determined it was my turn to make decisions for this family."

Hermione nodded in response, still trying to process everything Narcissa had said. Millicent's voice broke her thoughts.

"What do we do with them?" Millicent asked, quietly.

"Narcissa, you'll come with us," Hermione decided, looking at the older woman. "I'm sorry but I'll have to transport your family to Azkaban since we don't know how they'll react when they awaken."

"I expected that you would send me with them," Narcissa said, surprise cracking the polished veneer of her face.

"Is there any need to?" Hermione asked, looking at her closely.

"Certainly not," Narcissa replied. "But I imagined that because you couldn't know what my family would do, you wouldn't trust me either. That's how it was when the war ended. The sins of one member of the family were the sins of the whole family."

"It's different now," Hermione told her. "I've made sure of that."

"Very well, then" Narcissa said. "How do we get these two to Azkaban?"

Hermione looked at Millicent who drew two portkeys from her pocket. She placed one in each of the sleeping Malfoys hands. She activated them and, with a pop, the two Malfoy men disappeared.

"We should go outside," Hermione said to Millicent and Narcissa. "I need to check in with the rest of my team and see what Harry's team has done."

Together, the three women went downstairs and out the front door of the Malfoy home, stopping on the front porch. Hermione looked to her right and immediately spotted her team walking down the street with Blaise Zabini among them. Hermione, Millicent, and Narcissa walked down the stairs and into the street to meet them.

"Everyone is squared away," Susan informed Hermione when Hermione reached them.

"Good," Hermione answered. "Has anyone heard anything from Harry's team?"

"No," Dennis told her. "But here they come right now so we can ask."

Hermione turned and saw Harry's team walking towards them. They were all covered in gray soot, Harry's glasses were askew, and Dean had a cut on his head.

"What happened?" Hermione exclaimed, as soon as Harry was close enough to hear her.

"They only managed to make a small hole in the wards," Harry told the group. "But they couldn't take down the anti-apparition wards so they were going through it one by one when we got there."

"The Parkinsons, the Puceys, and the Greengrasses threw up a shield spell as soon as they saw us," Ron continued when Harry paused to catch his breath. "They and the others were gone by the time we broke through."

"We went through the hole in the wards after them," Katie chimed in. "But they were already gone."

"Who else got away?" Hermione asked, urgently.

"Pansy Parkinson, the Notts, the Flints, and the Bullstrodes," Ron said, grimly. "We have no way of knowing where they went."

"We need to get back and set up watches on all of their homes," Harry said, with a sigh. "Maybe they'll be stupid enough to try and go back."

"Nott, Senior has likely been planning this for a long time," Hermione commented. "We'll need help figuring out their plan."

Hermione gestured behind her to where Narcissa was standing. Everyone else looked surprised to see her standing there but Ron had a different reaction.

"What the bloody hell is she doing out?" Ron shouted, pointing his wand at her. "She should have been portkeyed to Azkaban with the rest of them."

"Honestly, Ronald, put that wand down!" Hermione said, stepping directly in front of Narcissa. "She's not a threat."

"She's one of them," Ron replied, menacingly. "Step aside, Hermione."

"No," Hermione refused, crossing her arms and glaring at Ron. "She turned over her husband and her son to us without issue after stunning them so they couldn't leave. She is not a threat."

"Lower your wand," Harry ordered, wearily. "I told you what she did in the Forbidden Forest, I'm not surprised at all that she did what Hermione says she did today. She'll come back with us same as Zabini."

Ron lowered his wand with a huff.

"Let's get back to London," Harry said. "We have a lot to do."

Together, the group walked back to Hermione's home. Once they were inside, they activated their own portkeys which would take them back to the museum. Hermione gave a portkey to Blaise and Narcissa to share and she gave them an encouraging look. They activated the portkey and disappeared. Hermione waited until everyone else had gone before tucking away her portkey. She walked back outside and looked over Asylum. She'd done everything she could, she knew, but she couldn't help but feel saddened that it had all come to a close. With a sigh, she turned her back on Asylum, walked back into her home, and portkeyed back to London.

Three hours later, Hermione found herself anxiously pacing the corridor outside an interview room in Azkaban. The last of the unconscious Death Eaters had woken up not five minutes before, meaning that it was finally time for them to be interviewed. Hermione wanted to make sure that she interviewed every single person who needed to be interviewed so she could make sure she was fully briefed on every case. Knowing as much as she could was her only chance to make a plea to the counsel for a positive outcome. She stopped pacing when a door at the end of the hallway opened and Harry stepped through. He had a resigned look on his face.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, urgently. "What's going on? What's happening?"

"An emergency council meeting," Harry told her, wringing his hands. "You need to come up to the breakroom."

"Why is this happening?" she wanted to know, not moving from her spot in front of the interview room.

"Ron called for it," Harry replied, wincing when Hermione began to curse out loud. "Please, just come upstairs."

"Oh, I'll come upstairs," Hermione said, her eyes lit with anger.

She moved down the hall angrily and followed Harry to the top floor of the prison where the breakroom was located. She barely nodded to Seamus and Dean who were standing guard outside the room before throwing the door open and storming into the room. As soon as she saw Ron, she marched toward him.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. "We have interviews to conduct. Why are we doing this?"

"Hermione, please," Arthur Weasley said quietly, coming up behind her and placing his hand on her shoulder. "We just need to talk about how all of this will go. Logistics. That's all."

Hermione took a breath to calm herself down. "I'm sorry Mr. Weasley, let's talk."

She turned and now saw that the room now consisted not only of the original members of the counsel but also of her team and the rest of Harry's team as well. Arthur walked to the front of the room and Hermione moved to stand with her team. A moment later, Seamus and Dean joined them as well, magically sealing the door behind them.

"As you all know, we now have a number of the residents of Asylum here in Azkaban," Arthur said, addressing the group. "The purpose of this meeting is to determine our next steps in dealing with them. It's my understanding that Hermione's team already came up with a plan for this to happen which is essentially an interview and then a decision by this council as to what to do with each person on an individual basis based on that interview. Does anyone have any objection to that plan?"

"Yes," Ron said, raising his hand. "I do. I think we should just leave them all here in Azkaban to rot."

"Let's put it to a vote," Arthur replied, quickly before Hermione could begin to shout. "All those in favor?"

To Hermione's surprise and delight, every single hand in the room went up except Ron's.

"Very well," Arthur said. "Each person will be evaluated by two different members of the original council."

"I'd like to do every evaluation," Hermione requested.

"Hermione, I don't think that's a good idea," Harry chimed in. "Those interviews will be draining."

"But I know these people," Hermione replied. "I should be the one to interview them."

"Ms. Granger, what you're asking is impossible," Minerva McGonagall said, stepping forward. "There's a number of people on the council and in this room today. They will help you."

"But-," Hermione started but stopped when McGonagall gave her a stern look. "Okay," she acquiesced, sullenly.

"Hermione, why don't you, Ron, and Harry work out a schedule for who will do the interviews," Arthur instructed. "Use as many of your teams as you need."

At Arthur's words, they dispersed and Hermione walked over to join Harry and Ron who were talking quietly to one another. When Hermione reached them, Harry smiled at her.

"We were thinking you'd like to interview the Malfoys," Harry said. "Since you've already spoken to Narcissa."

"Eh, uh, sure," Hermione replied, unable to think of a way out of it. "That's fine. Who else will interview them?"

"I will," Harry answered. "It's best that Ron...avoid them."

"I actually would prefer not to participate in the interviews at all," Ron chimed in, crossing his arms. "There's nothing they can say that would change my mind."

"That's easy then," Harry said. "Who else should we use?"

"Not Millicent," Hermione replied. "It would be too hard for her. And not Dennis, he, well, he has no tact."

"I think Katie, Dean, and Seamus would all be fine," Harry said, thoughtfully. "Susan and Padma as well. That makes 7 interviewers."

"I think that's enough," Hermione told him. "There really aren't that many of them to interview and I can't imagine the interviews will take especially long."

"Okay," Harry replied. "Let's assemble the team. Ron, why don't you handle interview assignments since you aren't conducting any of the interviews?"

"I can do that," Ron acknowledged. "I'll just grab a quill, parchment, and scribble it out."

Ron walked away as Hermione called after him, "Write legibly!"

"Are you sure you're okay to interview the Malfoys?" Harry asked, concerned. "Those will probably two of the most difficult interviews."

"I'm fine, Harry," she assured him. "You know I'm going to observe all the interviews, right?"

"I'm aware," he replied, resigned. "As long as you don't participate in them all, I'm fine with it."

"Thanks, Harry!" she answered, brightly, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

When she pulled away, she saw Ron coming back toward them.

"Here's the assignments," Ron said, handing over a piece of parchment to Harry.

Harry looked it over and nodded. "Looks good to me," he said. "Let's get to work."

* * *

A/N: Thanks everyone who has reviewed, I love hearing your thoughts on how the story is going! And thanks everyone who is reading/following! :)


	17. Chapter 16

As it turned out, Hermione only had to interview Draco and Lucius but that of course didn't stop her from her keeping her word to Harry and observing all the others. The interview room looked like one out of a muggle detective film, with a small table with chairs on either side. Hermione watched from behind the darkened glass in the adjoining room and had opened the microphones so that the sound filtered into the room. Harry was the one dosing the residents with veritaserum before they went into the interview room and Ron didn't care so she knew she'd be undisturbed observing.

First up was Adrian Pucey interviewed by Katie and Padma. Hermione only vaguely remembered him from Hogwarts but she knew he'd been in Slytherin. Katie and Padma walked into the room holding folders which Hermione knew contained the basic questions to ask that Hermione had scribbled down for everyone who was interviewing to give them a guide as to what to ask. Unfortunately, Katie and Padma had no use for Hermione's guiding questions. Within seconds of the girls walking into the room, Hermione watched and listened as Pucey raged at the girls, vowing revenge and trying to wrench himself from the chains that held him from the table. Katie and Padma quickly exited the room after about 45 seconds. Pucey continued to shout even after they left the room. He'd have to go to Azkaban, Hermione thought, resigned. Maybe once he'd had some time to calm down they would be able to help him.

Next up was Daphne Greengrass. Dean and Seamus entered the room to interview her. They sat down at the interview table and Dean offered the girl a glass of water. She responded by calmly demanding to know where her sister was. Dean told her that her sister was safe, to which Daphne responded she wouldn't talk to anyone without seeing her sister. Dean and Seamus looked at one another and Seamus rose and walked out of the room. While Seamus was gone, Dean tried to ask Daphne questions but she'd always respond with the same answer: "I won't say anything until I see Astoria." About five minutes later, the door to the interview room opened and Seamus walked in with Astoria behind him. Upon seeing one another, the two girls burst into tears. Astoria rushed over to her sister and threw her handcuffed hands around her neck in an embrace with her sister leaning in. Seamus managed to maneuver the two sisters so they were sitting together on the same side of the table with both Seamus and Dean standing.

"We have to ask you a series of questions," Dean said, looking cautiously at the two girls. "Is that okay?"

"We have questions as well," Daphne replied. "We'll answer your questions if you answer ours."

Daphne was smart, Hermione realized. Much more smart than she'd let on at school. Though all Hermione remembered from school was the stuck up, nasty bully.

"Agreed," Seamus answered after receiving a nod from Dean. "Why did you go to Blaise Zabini when you got your memories back?"

"I didn't understand what was happening," Daphne told him. "All I knew was Mr. Nott was in our house, trying to convince our parents to go with him. My instinct was to get Astoria and run. So that's what I did."

"What about you?" Dean asked, directing the question Astoria who had yet to speak.

"Daph came into my room and said we had to go," Astoria replied. "I was flooded with memories that I knew were mine but felt like someone else's. I thought if we went to Blaise he might be able to give me a potion or something. So I went."

"What did Nott, Sr. want from your parents?" Seamus questioned.

"He want-" Astoria started to answer but Daphne cut her off.

"Where are our parents?" Daphne asked. "A question for a question. That was our agreement."

"We don't know," Dean admitted. "We were hoping that you might be able to tell us.

"We don't know either," Daphne said. "We don't know anything."

"Astoria, what did you start to say?" Seamus asked.

"I heard Mr. Nott say he had a plan to get even," Astoria replied. "He said that our parents could help avenge Lord Voldemort."

"Did you hear anything else?" Dean wanted to know. "Anything you can tell us would be a huge help."

"What does helping you get us?" Daphne asked, her temper sparking. "After the war, we were thrown into Azkaban, then from Azkaban, you wiped our minds, and now we're here. Forgive me if I want some assurances before this goes any further."

Dean and Seamus exchanged an uncertain look before Seamus turned around as if to think but threw a pleading look at the window where he must have known or just assumed Hermione was. Hermione quickly moved out of the room where she was observing and into the hallway. Harry was standing outside the door tossing his wand, which he nearly dropped when he saw Hermione.

"Daphne wants to make a deal for her and Astoria," Hermione told him. "Seamus and Dean don't know what to do."

"I'll pull them out," Harry replied.

He knocked twice on the door, which opened a moment later and Dean and Seamus stepped into the hallway.

Seamus grinned at Hermione. "Thanks," he said. "We got out of our league quickly."

"We need Arthur," Harry said.

With a flick of his wand, Harry sent his patronus off. A minute later, Arthur Weasley came down the hallway. Harry quickly explained the situation.

"You need to ask them a couple more questions," Arthur said. "Specific questions. Tell them that if they answer those questions satisfactorily we'll work something out with them that they won't have to go back to Azkaban."

"Really?" Hermione exclaimed. "You mean that?"

"Everything they say is true because of the veritaserum," Arthur replied. "So if they give satisfactory answers that show they are not a threat to the wizarding community, I don't see any reason for them to be back in Azkaban. Especially given their limited involvement during the war."

Hermione threw her arms around Arthur in response. Arthur awkwardly patted her on the back before detaching her from his body.

"They haven't passed yet," Arthur told her. "And we still need to talk about what happens with them as a council."

"But you're the Minister of Magic," Hermione reminded him. "They'll listen to you."

"We'll see what happens," Arthur replied. "Mr. Thomas and Mr. Finnegan, why don't you resume your interview?"

"Yes, sir," Seamus said, giving Arthur a salute.

Dean rolled his eyes and the two men re-entered the interview room. Hermione threw a quick smile over her shoulder as she hurried back into the interview room. When she was back in the room, Seamus and Dean had just finished explaining what Arthur had said. Daphne looked pensive and Astoria looked ready to jump at the opportunity.

"Okay," Daphne said, finally after a few minutes of silence.

"Okay," Astoria echoed.

"We need each of you to answer every question we ask you," Seamus said. "Are purebloods superior?"

"Yes," both girls answered automatically but winced at their answer.

"What do you call a wizard with muggle parents?"

"Mudblood," they said, again wincing at their answer.

"Where was your allegiance during the war?" Seamus asked.

"Lord Voldemort," both girls replied at the same time.

This isn't going well at all, Hermione thought shaking her head. There was no way Arthur or anyone else on the council would agree to releasing these two back into the wizarding world if these were their answers.

"Where is your allegiance now?" Dean asked.

"Family," Daphne said, without missing a beat.

"Daphne," Astoria said nearly as quickly, receiving a smile from her sister.

"What would you do if you did not have to return to Azkaban?" Dean asked.

"Finish school," Astoria stated. "Become a healer."

"Get married," Daphne replied. "Start a family."

"Do you believe muggle-borns should die?" Seamus questioned.

"No," Daphne replied, definitively.

"Absolutely not," Astoria said, as soon as her sister finished her answer.

"If you were asked today to serve a new Dark Lord, would you serve?"

"No," both girls answered.

"We never truly had a choice," Daphne added. "That's not the veritaserum. I just thought you should know."

There it was, Hermione thought. The question that definitively showed whether or not the Greengrass sisters could be released. Seamus and Dean asked a couple more questions but Hermione didn't hear them. What would they do with them? Hermione thought. Send them back to the Greengrass estate? Help them integrate back into wizarding society? They could do all of that, Hermione decided. Their responses also excited Hermione. If these two could be released and reintegrated, it was possible the others could as well. Hermione's attention was drawn back to the interview room by Dean and Seamus opening the door and leading the sisters from the room. Hermione paced the observation room, waiting for the next interview. About 10 minutes later, Greg Goyle was brought into the room by Harry who had a bloody nose. Goyle sat down and Harry looked in the direction of the observation window and jerked his head toward the hallway. Hermione went into the hallway and quickly walked up to Harry.

"What happened to you?" she exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Marcus Flint," Harry replied, gingerly touching his nose. "He's...unwilling to cooperate."

"Oh Harry," Hermione said, tapping his nose with her wand, clearing the blood. "Did he say anything?"

"He said that he went to Blaise's to convince Blaise to leave with him when Blaise knocked him out," Harry told her. "Used a spell apparently - no tea for Flint. Then he swore to kill Blaise and everyone in the world."

"Blaise didn't mention that he knocked out Marcus," Hermione said, with a half laugh. "He probably thought we wouldn't take it well."

"Well either way, Marcus Flint is done," Harry told her. "So now we've got Goyle. I've asked Katie to join Susan instead of Padma. Padma is with my team dealing with Flint."

At his words, Susan and Katie appeared at the end of the hallway. They walked down and joined Hermione and Harry.

"I'll be on the other side of the glass if you need me," Hermione said to Susan and Katie. "Good luck!"

Hermione walked back into the observation and saw Susan and Katie sitting down at the table with Greg. He was staring down at the table, refusing to look either girl in the eye.

"Are purebloods superior?" Susan asked.

"Yes," Greg replied in a dull tone.

"What do you call someone who is born to non-magical parents?" Katie questioned.

"Mudblood," he said, in the same dull tone.

"Where was your allegiance during the war?" Susan asked.

"Draco Malfoy," he answered, again in the dull tone.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up at his response. Katie and Susan also looked a little flustered.

"So your allegiance during the war wasn't to Lord Voldemort?" Katie asked, confused.

"Draco's was so I guess mine was too," Greg replied, with a shrug.

"Where is your allegiance now?" Susan questioned.

"I don't know," Greg answered.

"What would you do if you did not have to return to Azkaban?" Katie asked.

"I don't know," he said, again. " I'd be...I'd want to...I don't know."

He's completely lost, Hermione realized. He had all his memories of being a follower of Draco Malfoy but also had his memories of being the sheriff of their town where he had authority and was respected. The two contrasted so dramatically that now he was left confused. Hermione tuned back into the interview to hear Katie asking one final question.

"Where do you want to go right now?" she asked.

"The town," Greg replied. "Where we were. That's where I'd go."

Asylum, Hermione thought. She felt her heart twist with sympathy for the man in front of her. Put him with the right people and he'd flourish, Hermione decided. She'd fight for no Azkaban for him. She'd fight for him. Katie and Susan left the room and Harry appeared a moment later. He had to snap his fingers in front of Greg's face to draw him out of his own thoughts and then he rose without issue. Harry barely placed a hand on him as Greg shuffled out of the room.

A few minutes later, Hermione watched as Harry led Lucius Malfoy into the room. The other interviews had flown by so quickly she'd almost forgotten she would have to interview the Malfoy men. Harry looked at the observation window and Hermione took that as her cue to come into the interview room. She left the observation room and, without giving herself a moment to overthink, went into the interview room. Lucius Malfoy's eyes narrowed when she entered but he didn't say anything.

"Where is my wife?" he asked, harshly before Hermione or Harry could say a word. "Where is Narcissa?"

"Safe," Harry replied, vaguely. "We have questions for you."

"What is the purpose of this?" Lucius demanded to know, ignoring Harry's response.

"The purpose of this interview is to determine if we can safely return you to the wizarding world," Harry answered, matter-of-factly. "If you can't, we'll send you to Azkaban for the rest of your miserable future."

"Let's save us time," Lucius answered. "One way or another, I'll return to the wizarding world. Even if I have to break out of Azkaban again to do it. I cannot be contained Mr. Potter, you're wasting your breath."

"Do you still support Lord Voldemort?" Harry asked, unconcerned with Lucius' response. "Do you still believe muggleborns should die?"

"Yes," Lucius shouted, knocking his hands against the desk. "Yes. Now, let me see my wife!"

"Never," Hermione said, chiming in for the first time. "Your wife will be disappointed to hear what you've decided."

"She is my WIFE," Lucius raged. "I demand to see her."

"Do you know how you ended up here?" Hermione asked, quietly. She continued when she saw a flicker of remembrance flutter across his face. "She stunned you and your son. She kept you stunned until we arrived and then she turned you both over."

"You imperiused her," Lucius replied, frantically. "You wiped her memory again. She is as loyal to the Dark Lord as I am."

"She never told you, did she?" Harry said, looking curiously at Lucius. "She never told you what happened in the Forbidden Forest?"

"I have no idea what you're going on about Mr. Potter but I assure you-" Lucius began but Harry became impatient and cut him off.

"Voldemort sent her to see if I was alive," Harry told him. "She came over, could feel my beating heart, and then asked me if Draco was alive. I whispered that he was and then she lied to Voldemort. She lied straight to his face."

"That's preposterous," Lucius replied. "She was just mistaken. She was a Death Eater through and through!"

"She was a mother through and through," Hermione commented. "And today she was a mother and a wife through and through. So what do you think she'd say if we asked her the questions we asked you?"

For the first time in the interview, Lucius looked troubled. His air of confidence gone and he was wringing his hands.

"Let me speak to her," he requested, his voice quieter with that one sentence than it had been since he'd first begun to speak. "I need to speak to her."

"We'll ask her if she wants to speak to you," Hermione said, giving Harry a look.

Together they rose from the interview table and left the interview room.

"Where is Narcissa?" Hermione asked, turning to Harry. "We should let him talk to her."

"She's in the observation room," Harry replied, smiling when Hermione looked at him in surprise. "I figured he'd probably want to talk to her and it'd save time having her watch. Millicent is with her."

"Harry Potter, sometimes you are truly brilliant," Hermione said, beaming at him.

At that moment, Narcissa stepped into the hall with Millicent close behind her.

"Can I speak to him?" Narcissa asked. "Please?"

"Yes," Harry said, with a nod. "But we'll be monitoring the conversation."

"I understand," Narcissa replied. "May I go in?"

"I'll take you in," Harry answered, looking to Hermione.

Understanding that he wanted her in position in the observation room when Narcissa began speaking, Hermione went quickly into the room with Millicent. She looked on as Harry led Narcissa into the room and watched as Lucius' demeanor changed when his wife entered the room. He seemed relieved to see her. Harry left Narcissa in the room and walked out. A minute later, he was in the observation room and the only thing he'd missed was a long embrace between Narcissa and her husband.

"Cissa, tell me you have a plan to get us away from these blood traitors," Lucius whispered urgently.

Narcissa drew back from her husband and sat down at the table opposite him.

"Lucius," Narcissa began cautiously. "I was watching their conversation with you. Everything they said was true."

"No, no, Cissa," he said, in horror. "Everything we worked for, everything we stand for, you're throwing it all away for what?"

"For a future," Narcissa replied, passionately, taking her husband's hands in her own. "Lucius, our side lost. We have to accept that and acclimate to this new world we're living in. I want to do that. I want to acclimate. I want to go home. And I want you and Draco to be there with me."

Lucius ripped his hands away from hers and shook his head. "I can't allow you to do this," he said. "As the head of this family, I cannot allow the Malfoy name to become tainted."

"The Malfoy name became tainted the day we took the mark," Narcissa replied, coldly. "The day you made my only son take the mark."

"It's an honor," Lucius roared. "An honor to serve the Dark Lord."

"The Dark Lord is no more," Narcissa said, calmly. "You will have one chance to accept that or I don't believe we'll ever see eachother again. They seem quite intent on sending you to Azkaban."

"Let them," Lucius said, menacingly. "I'll get out and when I do, I'll come home Narcissa. I'll come right home to you."

"You'll never be free," Narcissa replied, seemingly unphased by her husband's threat. "Draco will be though. Remember our son? The son you didn't bother to ask about once when Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger were here?"

"Draco is a loyal servant of the Dark Lord," Lucius scoffed. "He's too weak to do anything other than follow."

"Don't be so sure," Narcissa told him, rising from the table.

"What the hell does that mean?" Lucius demanded to know, banging his hands on the table.

"Goodbye, Lucius," Narcissa said, her head high as she walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Lucius continued to rant and rage but Hermione left Harry to deal with him and darted into the hallway. She got to Narcissa in time to catch her before she collapsed against the wall.

"I don't know why I thought he would change," Narcissa sobbed, as Hermione held her up.

Millicent came over to Hermione and took Narcissa from her. "I'm going to take her to my apartment," Millicent told Hermione. "Let me know if you need me to bring her back."

"Good," Hermione replied. "Take Blaise with you. I think he can probably help."

Millicent nodded in response and led Narcissa down the hall. Hermione turned around and saw Harry standing by the door to the interview room.

"Azkaban," Hermione said, avoiding his eye.

Harry said nothing in response, instead going into the interview room and, a minute later, levitating an unconscious Lucius Malfoy out of the interview room. When Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, he just shrugged. He levitated him away before reappearing a couple minutes later.

"Malfoy is the last one," Harry said. "Do you want a minute before I bring him up?"

"No thanks, Harry," Hermione replied.

"Any idea how he's going to react?" Harry asked. "Should I protect my nose?"

"I have no idea," Hermione answered honestly. "I told him everything before Nott gave him back his memories."

"You did WHAT?!" Harry exclaimed. "Why?"

"I owed him an explanation," Hermione replied, vaguely. "So I told him the truth. He kicked me out shortly thereafter so I have no idea how he's going to react."

"Hermione, what aren't you telling me?" Harry asked.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione told him. "He knew everything before he got his memories back so when he got them back it shouldn't have been as much of a surprise. But I really have no idea how he's going to react."

"Okay," Harry replied, unconvinced. "You know I love you no matter what, right?"

"I know," Hermione said, with a smile. "Bring him up."

Harry walked forward and gave her a quick hug. He released her and disappeared down the hall. Unsure what to do with herself, Hermione went into the interview room. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest. She wondered if Harry could feel it when he hugged her. She would be calm, she told herself. She would be professional. She knew what questions to ask and she knew how different answers would be interpreted. No matter what he said, she would take the answer. She would set aside her personal feelings about him (which she was now willing to acknowledge at least to herself that she had) and do her job. She could do this, she thought, steeling herself for his arrival as she heard footsteps coming down the hall. A minute later, Draco appeared in the doorway. He stopped in the doorway and stared at her for a moment. Hermione schooled her features to make sure her face gave nothing away as she searched his face for any sign of what he was thinking or feeling. But his face gave nothing away either. Harry directed him to sit in the chair, which he did without incident. Harry sat on the opposite side of the table from him, next to Hermione. Draco stared at Hermione without blinking and Hermione stared right back.

"Alright," Harry said, with a light cough to try to break the thick tension in the room. "Let's get started."

"Get out," Draco said, his eyes never leaving Hermione's.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, in disbelief.

"Get out," Draco repeated. "I'll talk to Granger, only Granger, alone."

"You don't get to make demands," Harry started to say but Hermione stopped him.

"Leave, Harry," Hermione said, quietly, refusing to break eye contact with Draco.

"Hermione, are you sure?" Harry whispered, urgently.

"Please," was all she said in response.

With a sigh, Harry rose from the table and walked to the door. He turned around though before opening it and walking out.

"I'll be right outside the door," Harry said. "If you need anything, let me know."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione replied, softly.

Harry looked at Hermione, then at Draco, then back to Hermione. Neither one of them had broken eye contact and they seemed fixated on one another. With a sigh, Harry opened the door and walked out of the room, leaving Hermione alone with Draco.

* * *

A/N: A FACE OFF.


	18. Chapter 17

For what felt like an eternity Hermione and Draco just stared at one another. Hermione did her best to keep her control and not allow anything to show on her face. It seemed Draco was doing the same because he was completely closed off. Deciding to break the silence, Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Draco beat her to it.

"Veritaserum seems like an extreme step for the side of good," he said, nastily. "Such a shame that it doesn't work on me."

Hermione did everything she could to keep her face controlled. Of course he would be immune to veritaserum, she thought. He'd probably been trained how to evade the effects of it since he was a child.

"I suppose you'll just have to tell the truth then," Hermione replied, coolly.

"The truth?" he scoffed. "The way you kept the truth from me?"

"I have a few questions to ask you," Hermione said, ignoring the way her heart clenched at his words. "Are purebloods superior?"

"I mean, every single time you came to our little slice of hell, you lied," Draco continued. "Every visit, every conversation we had, everything that's happened for the last three years has all been one giant lie."

"What do you call someone with muggle parents?" Hermione asked, ignoring the guilt that was rising in her heart.

"You know what gets me, Granger," Draco continued, unfazed by her question. "The timing of it all. You waited until I was minutes from taking you to bed and then you told the truth. Why is that?"

"Where was your allegiance during the war?" Hermione questioned, fighting to keep her emotions from rising to the surface.

"I mean, was it all a game?" Draco asked, staring at her coldly. "Get the bully who made your life miserable to care for you? Fall for you? Then rip it all away? Is that all this was? Revenge?"

"NO," Hermione shouted, finally losing her temper. "Malfoy, think whatever you want of me, but that is not what happened between us."

"Sure seems to me like it is," Draco replied. "Especially since after you told me, you had no problem walking out the door and not coming back."

"You asked me to leave," Hermione said, rising from the table and beginning to pace. "You kicked me out, so I left. I knew how you felt so-"

"You knew how I felt?" Draco roared, slamming his hands on the table. "You knew how I felt? Tell me, Granger, do you know how I feel now too?"

"Malfoy, I-"

"I feel like I'm being torn in two," he shouted at her. "I remember EVERYTHING, not just from the last three years but from the last 25 years. I remember everything my father ever taught me. Purebloods are superior, mudbloods aren't worthy of their magic or to live in this world with us, Voldemort above all."

"Is that how you still feel?" Hermione asked, looking at him.

"I don't know how to feel," he raged. "Because the other part of me remembers that fucking town, those people, what we went through. You."

"What about me?" Hermione asked, quietly, sitting back down at the table.

Draco stared at her for a minute, unanswering. Hermione met his gaze and held eye contact with him. Draco broke eye contact first and stared down at the ground.

"You complicate everything," Draco said, quietly, the anger seeming to seep out of him. "Because you're a mudblood, you're the annoying prat Potter's best friend, and you're the epitome of good. You displace everything I've been taught and you did it when I had no defense against it."

"I never meant to take advantage of the situation," Hermione answered, at the same volume. "I tried to avoid it, avoid you."

"But you lied instead," Draco replied, looking back up at her. "You lied, you took advantage, and now where the hell does this leave me? A one-way ticket to Azkaban?"

"You won't go back there," Hermione said, firmly. "If you want a different life, a better life, you just have to answer my questions."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Draco spoke again. "Bring Potter back in," he said. "I'll answer your questions."

Hermione nodded in response and rose from the table. She opened the door and saw Harry, slightly out of breath, standing on the opposite side of the door where he'd been standing for the other interviews. She gave me a questioning look but he just smiled at her.

"Malfoy is willing to talk," she told him. "He asked for you to come back in."

Without a word, Harry followed her back into the interview room. He sat down next to Hermione and Hermione began.

"Are purebloods superior?"

"Yes."

Hermione looked at him in surprise but, when his face revealed nothing, she pushed forward.

"What do you call a wizard with muggle parents?"

"Mudblood," Draco replied, a sneer coming across his face. "Unworthy."

Hermione ignored the pang in her heart at his response. What the hell was he doing?

"Where was your allegiance during the war?" Harry asked, looking between Hermione and Draco, confused.

"Lord Voldemort," Draco replied, his eyes trained on Hermione.

When Hermione didn't ask another question, Harry did. "Where is your allegiance now?"

"Lord Voldemort," Draco said, staring hard at Hermione still. "Or whoever it is who will succeed him."

"Malfoy, what the hell is this?" Hermione asked, sharply. "What are you doing?"

"Next question, Potter," he replied, ignoring her question but not breaking eye contact.

"What would you do if you didn't have to go to Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"Become the next Lord Voldemort," Draco answered. "Finish what he started."

"Harry, get out," Hermione said, rising to her feet.

"No, Potter, stay," Draco said, joyfully. "Got any more questions?"

"Why are you doing this?" Hermione cried, cutting off Harry who was about to speak. "Damn it, Malfoy, what is wrong with you?"

"What else do you need to hear?" Draco asked, looking to Harry. "I'll keep coming back? I'll make sure there's never a moment of peace in our world. All hail Lord Voldemort?"

"Enough, Draco!" Hermione shouted, leaning over the table. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"We're done here," Harry said, going over to the door and opening it.

Hermione opened her mouth to protest but Harry shook his head. Resigned, she walked over to Draco's side of the table to release the shackles so Harry could lead him out the room. When she got close to him, he whispered to her. "Feels like you're being torn apart on the inside, doesn't it? Welcome to my hell."

Hermione jolted back from him as if she'd been slapped. "Is that was this is?" she asked. "Revenge? Make me feel the way that you do?"

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Draco whispered. "Now you'll know that while I'm sitting in Azkaban, rotting away, it was you who put me there."

"Let's go," Harry said, pulling Draco from the chair and cutting off any further conversation.

He led Draco from the room and Hermione sank into the chair that Draco had been sitting in. It smelled like him, she realized, and the scent brought tears to her eyes. She'd never expected he would react in such a volatile way. And he was right, he had managed to hurt her and she'd hurt him, without even meaning to. He didn't actually believe any of what he said, she thought. He couldn't. He was trying to hurt her and punish himself. He'd succeeded in doing both. Harry came back into the room as Hermione wiped away a tear that fallen from her eyes.

"So?" Harry said, looking at his best friend. "Azkaban for Malfoy, then?

"He should be allowed to go home," Hermione replied, not meeting Harry's eyes. "He only said those things to get to me."

"And why would he want to do that?" Harry asked, dragging a chair around to the side of the table where she was and sitting down.

"We became...friendly recently," Hermione told him, staring down at her clenched hands. "I suppose he feels that I betrayed that friendship."

Harry's hands came into view as he closed his hands over hers. "I was watching," Harry told her, his kind eyes looking back at her when she raised her head in surprise. "I heard everything. Tell me what happened."

Then, without being able to stop herself, Hermione told him everything. How her relationship with Draco had developed against her better judgment, how when she realized she had feelings for him that she had to do something, and finally, how she told him the truth. Harry sat quietly the entire time, listening to her story, keeping her hands in his. When she was done, she looked up at him with a sad smile.

"Do you hate me?" Hermione asked, fighting back tears.

"Never," Harry said, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall. "Hermione, you're my family and I love you. I could never hate you. I don't understand why him but I know you. You did everything you could and you did what you thought was best."

"And I completely screwed it up," Hermione replied, with an anguished laugh. "Now he's deliberately trying to get himself sent to Azkaban just to hurt me."

"He was under veritaserum," Harry reminded her. "If he said it, it's probably true."

"The very first thing he said was veritaserum doesn't work on him," Hermione told him. "There's no way to know what was the truth and what wasn't."

"You know though, don't you?" Harry asked. "Because you know him?"

"I thought I did," Hermione replied. "But now everything is so messed up."

Tears began to fall down Hermione's face again and Harry pulled her into a tight hug. She clung to him as she pulled herself back together. When she stopped crying, Harry pulled away and cast a quick spell to get rid of the visible effects of the crying.

"Can you do this council meeting?" Harry asked. "No one would think less of you if you needed to go home and take a break from all of this."

"Let's do it," Hermione replied, summoning all the Gryffindor tenacity she had. "I'm ready."

Together, they rose from their chairs and walked out of the interview room. A few minutes later, they found themselves back in the break room. Arthur stood at the front of the room and called the meeting to order as soon as Hermione and Harry walked through the door.

"I'd like our evaluators to come forward and give a report of their interviews," Arthur said. "Then give us their recommendation of how to proceed with the individual. Katie, why don't you and Padma start?"

The two women rose from their seats and walked to the front of the room, standing next to Arthur.

"Well, ours is quick," Padma said, with a half laugh. "Pucey said he'd kill us all, get back at every single person who wronged him and tried to get out of his shackles. We recommend Azkaban."

"Is there any objection to Azkaban for Mr. Pucey?" Arthur asked, looking directly at Hermione.

Hermione shook her head no and, when no one else spoke up, Arthur spoke again. "Very well, Azkaban for Mr. Pucey."

"While we're on the subject of people going to Azkaban," Ron chimed in. "I think we can easily place Flint of that list since he tried to break Harry's nose."

"Lucius Malfoy as well," Hermione said, ignoring the looks of shock that she received. "He's unchanged."

"Objections?" Arthur's question was met with silence. "Azkaban for Mr. Flint and Mr. Malfoy, Senior as well."

"I also evaluated Greg Goyle," Katie said, as Padma returned to her seat. "I think we should allow him to return home."

"Why is that?" Arthur asked, curiously. "And what does your co-evaluator think?"

"I agree," Susan said, standing and moving to the front of the room next to Katie. "Goyle seems lost. He's a follower without a leader. I think we can give him a good leader and he'll be fine."

Katie and Susan's statements were met with a wave a murmurs from the room.

"But what if he's not fine?" Ron asked. "What if he becomes the next Voldemort while we're not looking?"

"He isn't capable," Susan said, answering before Hermione had a chance to. "I really think he needs a second chance. If we put him with the right people, he'll be fine."

"We can put him with the Greengrass sisters," Dean said, rising from his chair. "They should be allowed to return home as well."

"Why?" Ron demanded to know. "Why are we letting so many of these people go home?"

"They answered all of Hermione's questions the way we would want them to," Seamus chimed in, standing as well. "They obviously had to be honest and their only concern seems to be each other."

"So you think we should release Mr. Goyle and both the Greengrasses back into the wizarding world?" Arthur asked. "Together?"

"Yes," Dean replied, looking around the room at the others. "I think they'd be fine."

"Agreed," Seamus added, with Katie and Susan echoing their agreement as well.

"Very well," Arthur said. "Any objection to releasing those three?"

"Yes," Ron answered. "They were still Death Eaters, they were still on the wrong side in the war, and we're going to just let them go? Come on, everyone, see reason!"

But Ron's response was met with silence from the group.

"Very well," Arthur said, looking around the room. "The Greengrass sisters and Mr. Goyle will be released. I suppose the only person left to speak about then is Draco Malfoy. Hermione?

With a shaky breath, Hermione moved to the front of the room to address the group. "I think Malfoy should also be allowed to return home," Hermione said, ignoring the obnoxiously loud gasp that no doubt came from Ron. "He's been through a lot but I think he'd do well back in the wizarding world and I think his mother could do a great deal to help him adjust."

"No way in hell," Ron said, shooting out of his chair. "The Greengrasses, Goyle, I can live with them in our world but Malfoy? Never. He's evil and he always will be."

"Harry, what do you think?" Arthur asked. "You also interviewed Mr. Malfoy as well, didn't you?"

"I did," Harry replied, rising from his seat. "I think Malfoy's personality is the same as it's always been. He thinks highly of himself, very little of others, and he's overall a snob and an ass."

"Huzzah!" Ron cheered, earning him a withering look from his father.

"But," Harry continued. "He also seems to have changed his beliefs."

"How can you say that?" Ron shouted. "I heard part of the interview, he said he'd become the next Voldemort!"

At Ron's words, the room erupted. People began speaking over one another, each shouting to have their opinion heard.

"Enough!" Arthur commanded. "Harry, did he say that?"

"He did," Harry answered, honestly. "But he said something to me in the hallway as I was returning him to the holding cell. That's why I agree with Hermione. He should be allowed to go home."

Hermione looked at Harry in surprise. "What did he say?" she asked.

"He commented that Azkaban was where he deserved to be," Harry shared with the group. "Which makes me think it's exactly where he shouldn't be."

"That's bloody mental," Ron shouted. "How does that even make sense?"

"He's punishing himself," Harry replied, with a shrug. "He said everything he knew we'd need to hear to lock him away forever. So, I think we should do the opposite. I think we should give him a chance."

"I think he should rot in hell," Ron spat back.

"Put it to a vote," Hermione urged, looking at Arthur pleadingly. "Let the group decide."

"Very well," Arthur said. "All those in favor of allowing Mr. Malfoy to return to the wizarding world?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air. Harry raised his as well. No other hand in the room went up.

"All those in favor of sending Mr. Malfoy to Azkaban?"

Ron and Dennis's hands shot into the air. But again, no other hand in the room went up.

"Everyone needs to vote," Arthur said, agitated.

"I don't know what to do," Ginny called out from her seat. "How do we really know what's going to work? How are we supposed to know what's best for a group of people we don't even know?"

"You do what's right," Ron replied. "Send them to Azkaban."

"Put yourself in his place," Hermione said, somberly. "You learn that the last three years of your life have been a lie. You have good, happy memories of those years. Now those memories are ripped away when you're flooded with bad memories and everything that's happened to you in your entire life. None of us know what that feels like and none of us can know how we'd react. But I'm asking you to give Malfoy a chance. If he screws up, you can put him in Azkaban and I won't say a word. But if it was you, wouldn't you want us to take a chance on you?"

"Let's vote again," Arthur said. "All those in favor of sending Mr. Malfoy to Azkaban?"

Again, Ron and Dennis's hands went up. But no one else's did.

"All those in favor of allowing Mr. Malfoy to return to the wizarding world?"

Hermione raised her hand at the same time that Harry raised his. Then she watched as Ginny put her hand in the air as well. Followed by Millicent. Followed by Katie. Followed by Seamus and Dean until the entire room (except Ron and Dennis) had their hands raised.

"Very well," Arthur said. "Mr. Malfoy will be returned to the wizarding world."

Hermione let out the breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Harry gave her a reassuring smile while Ron simply sat and looked mutinous.

"Now, moving on to those who escaped," Arthur continued. "We need to coordinate a search effort to locate them as quickly as possible. We have no idea what they might do but we know very well what they're capable of. Harry, your team will take the lead on this. Hermione's team will be joining Harry's. Let's get to work and find these people."

As Harry began to give out orders, Hermione allowed her mind to drift. He'd be free, she thought. She'd probably never see him again and he'd probably hate her for the rest of their lives but at least he'd be free. Narcissa would have her son, Blaise would have his friend, and maybe, at least some of the former residents of Asylum, could begin to heal. That was all she ever wanted, she told herself. Was to find a way to help get them all back into wizarding society. A hand waving in front of her face pulled her from her thoughts. Her eyes refocused on Ginny's smiling face in front of hers.

"Harry's split the group into two teams, one which will go back to Asylum to search inside the town for clues and one that will go outside of Asylum to search there," Ginny told her. "Would you like to hear your assignment?"

"What is it?" Hermione asked, half-heartedly.

"You and I are going to let the group to be freed what's going on," Ginny said, with a smile. "I haven't been feeling great lately and, well, you look like death warmed over. We can't let them go home until the rest have been caught but my dad is in the process of having one of the old safe houses from the war prepared. We'll take them there when it's ready."

"Sounds great, Gin," Hermione replied, relieved that Harry knew her well enough to know she was in no shape to go out into the field. "Should we go now?"

"Sure," Ginny answered. "Blaise and Narcissa are waiting in one of the interview rooms downstairs. Dad had Millicent take them there instead of to her apartment. We can start with them."

Together, Hermione and Ginny left the break room and went down into the interview rooms. Both Blaise and Narcissa were grateful as the two women explained what would happen and who was going to be with them. The same was the case with Astoria and Daphne. Greg simply stared at them until they left the room. When they reached the hallway that Draco's holding cell was in, Hermione stopped.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, concerned.

"I don't think I can do it," Hermione told her, quietly. "And I don't think he'll want to see me."

"Wait here then," Ginny replied, reaching over and squeezing Hermione's hand. "I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, grateful her friend hadn't pressed her for a better reason.

"Not a problem," Ginny told her. "I've been curious to talk to him anyway."

"Thank you," Hermione said in response.

Ginny walked quickly down the hall and a moment later, disappeared into Draco's holding cell. Hermione moved down the hall so she could be close by if Ginny happened to need her but Hermione had no doubt in her friend's ability. Though Ginny had never trained as an Auror, she'd always been quick with spells and Quidditch had honed her reflexes. She could handle Draco Malfoy. About 10 minutes later, Ginny emerged from the holding cell.

"You were in the a while," Hermione observed, as they began to walk back to the break room. "Everything okay?"

"Fine, fine," Ginny replied, vaguely. "We just chatted."

"About what?" Hermione wanted to know.

"I let him know what was going on, explained why, and then we just chatted a bit," Ginny told her.

"You just sat around and chatted?" Hermione asked. "Just like that?"

"Yep," Ginny said, not elaborating further. "I'm knackered though, I hope Harry doesn't mind if we head home after everyone is settled into the safe house."

"Are you okay, Gin?" Hermione asked. "I know you haven't been feeling well. Did Malfoy say something to upset you?"

"I'm fine," Ginny replied, giving Hermione a smile. "Just want this all to be over and done with."

Before Hermione could answer, Ginny pushed open the door to the break room. Harry was inside, talking with Arthur. No one else was in the room. Harry and Arthur stopped their conversation when Hermione and Ginny reached them.

"How did it go?" Harry asked, looking at the two women.

"Easy," Ginny replied. "They're all on board and ready to go when you are."

"The safe house is set up," Arthur told them. "Harry, George, and I will make sure they get there safely."

"I thought we were going to be the ones taking them," Hermione questioned.

"There's no reason for you to," Harry told her. "Besides, it looks like both of you could use a good nights sleep. So we'll take care of them and you two take care of yourselves."

"Harry, I'm fine," Hermione protested. "I can help transport them."

"We're bringing them up here, portkeying to the safe house, then leaving them there," Harry replied. "The house is stocked with the basics so they'll be fine there for a few days. They're all willing so it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes."

"Will you go to Asylum when you're done?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Harry told her, apologetically. "I need to be there."

"I understand," Ginny said, giving him a smile. "Hermione and I will head out then."

Ginny walked over to her father and gave him a quick hug then moved to Harry and gave him a quick kiss. She stepped aside to allow Hermione to say goodbye to them as well.

"Let me know if you need me," Hermione said as she hugged Harry.

"I will," Harry replied. "You two get some sleep. Here are your portkeys home."

Hermione and Ginny took the portkeys from Harry and, after thanking him, each activated their portkeys. A minute later, Hermione found herself in the living room of her home. She turned off the lights in her home and went to bed.

The next four days dragged along, Harry's teams had only found minimal evidence of planning of the escape in the Nott home and nothing in any of the other homes of escaped residents. They hadn't, however, been able to get into Pansy Parkinson's home. They'd tried everything they could for two days before giving up. Harry called in a specialized team of curse breakers led by a former auror named Erin to find a way into the house. They would find a lot there, Hermione was certain. As far as Hermione knew, all the former residents who were in the safe house were fine. Ginny had taken it upon herself to check on them every day and ensure that they had everything they needed. Hermione had thrown herself into helping search the area surrounding Asylum. But they'd found nothing and none of the former residents had appeared. Frustrated, Hermione had gone home after another fruitless day and gone for a run around her neighborhood. When she got back from her run, she took a quick shower before putting on an old t-shirt and crawling into bed. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit her pillow.

She found herself jolted awake though a few hours later. She had no idea what had woken her up and a quick glance at her clock told her it was just after midnight. Then she heard thunder outside and realized that it had begun to storm. Perhaps that's what had awoken her, she thought. She started to drift back to sleep when she heard a loud banging coming from her front door. Jumping out of bed, Hermione hurried to the door, forgetting she was wearing just a t-shirt. Thinking that she must have forgotten to open the floo and it was one of her friends on the other side, she threw her front door open without first checking to see who was there. She gasped when she saw who it was. Standing in front of her door, soaking wet, his grey eyes lit with anger, was Draco Malfoy.

* * *

A/N: he's baaaaaaaaaAaaaAaaaaaAck!


	19. Chapter 18

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, still half-asleep and confused.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he replied, shoving past her and walking into her living room.

"What?" Hermione managed to say in response.

"Why the hell am I in a safe house?" Draco asked, whirling toward her. "Why the hell aren't I in Azkaban?"

"We took a vote and decided that you could return to the wizarding world," Hermione told him, closing the front door but not turning to look at him. "So the safe house is where you'll be until you can return to Malfoy Manor."

"No one in that room would have gone along with that if it wasn't for you," Draco accused. "You're the reason that I'm out. You're the reason that I'm free."

"You're welcome," Hermione snapped, her anger causing her to turn and face him. "And how dare you!"

"How dare YOU," Draco countered, moving back toward her. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Who the hell do you think YOU are," Hermione shot back, standing her ground as he stalked toward her. "Barging into my home, shouting at me? What are you doing here? How did you even find where I live?

"Weasley," he snapped, stopping about a foot away from her. "Er, well, Potter."

"Ron?" Hermione asked, confused. "Harry?"

"Ginny," he told her, staring at her but with less heat. "She wouldn't leave my cell without us having a little chat. Which consisted mostly of a lecture where she repeatedly told me to take my head out of my ass. We've had the same chat repeatedly the last couple of days when she pops by to check in at the safe house. Then she told me when I did, I could find you here."

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Hermione questioned.

"Answer my question and I'll answer yours," he countered. "Why aren't I in Azkaban?"

"Because you don't have to be," Hermione said, passionately, stepping closer to him. "You don't have to spend time in Azkaban as punishment for whatever you think you need to be punished for. You get a new fresh start. Take it. Run with it."

"I've done terrible things, Granger," he told her. "You don't even know half of it."

"You have to let that go," Hermione replied. "You're different, now. Anyone can see that. I really believe that you deserve this second chance."

"I still don't know what I believe," Draco told her, honestly. "Everything is a mess in my head."

"That's okay," Hermione said, closing the distance between them and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You can take the time that you need. You have Blaise and your mother to help you though."

"My mother lectured me," Draco replied with a half-laugh. "Blaise too. Similar to what Ginny had said. Apparently everyone else has caught up with the times. I'm the slow one."

"It'll be okay," Hermione said, quietly, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "You'll get there."

Draco looked at her and Hermione could see his anger had dissipated. What she saw in it's place though scared her to death. She went to move her hand away but Draco reached up and grabbed it. Suddenly, he tugged her so her body was flush up against him.

"Ask me your question again," he said, quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, after a moment of adjusting to being close to him.

"I couldn't stay away," he whispered. "Days have passed and the only thing that made sense, the only thing that I wanted, was to come and find you."

Hermione drew air in quickly but was cut off when Draco closed the distance between them and kissed her. He released her hand and wrapped his arms around her back, holding her tightly to him. Hermione slid her arms up around his neck, holding him as tightly as he was holding her. He drew his mouth away from hers only for a moment to change the angle, deepening the kiss. Hermione felt his tongue invade her mouth and she chased his tongue back into his mouth with her own. She threaded her fingers into his hair at the base of his neck and fought back a moan when he slipped one hand up the back of her shirt and touched bare skin. Realizing where they were possibly headed, Hermione pulled back from the kiss but didn't pull away from him. Draco leaned his forehead against hers and breathed out deeply.

"I should go back to bed," Hermione whispered, quietly.

"I should go," Draco replied, just as quietly.

But neither of them moved. They simply stood there, breathing each other in. Draco was the first to move, tilting his head up and giving Hermione a kiss on the forehead.

"Everything is so confusing and messed up," he said. "I should hate you. I did hate you for so many years."

"And now?" Hermione questioned, looking up at him.

"You're everything I didn't know someone could be," Draco told her, simply. "I'm trying to understand that."

Hermione felt her heart squeeze at his response. She pulled out of his hold and watched as the hurt cut across his face. She reached forward though and took his hands in hers.

"Stay," she asked, giving his hands a squeeze when she saw the look of surprise on his face.

He nodded in response, as if he didn't trust himself to speak. Hermione release one of his hands and led him into her room. Draco stood next to her uncertainly as she moved over to her dresser drawers. She pulled out one of her larger t-shirts and tossed it to him.

"I'm going to bathroom," she told him. "You can change. I'll be right back."

Hermione stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her. Instead of going to the bathroom, she went into her library where her owl was sleeping. She coaxed him awake before scribbling a quick note to Ginny letting her know that Draco was at her place. She attached the note to her owl and sent him on his way. She returned to the bedroom and found Draco sitting awkwardly on the end of her bed, wearing the t-shirt she'd given him and his boxers. Hermione moved into the room, closing the bedroom door behind him, and walking over to Draco. She gave him a smile when he looked up at her and she sat down next to him.

"Let's go to sleep," Hermione said. "We can deal with everything else in the morning."

Together, they rose and got into bed. Hermione laid on her side, with her back to Draco and she could feel him turn so that his back was to her as well. Hermione closed her eyes and willed herself to go to sleep. As she finally started to drift off, she heard Draco whisper thanks. She smiled to herself as she fell asleep.

Hermione awoke the next morning and the first thing she noticed was that she was incredibly warm. She realized that, at some point in the night, she and Draco had ended up tangled together. Her face was buried in his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her. Their legs were tangled together and she could feel his chin on top of her head. She tried to slide away from him but his arms tightened around her, keeping her close. She laughed quietly to herself before pulling back enough to look at his face. She was surprised to see that his eyes were wide open and clear. He must have been awake for a while, she realized. And he hadn't moved. She felt her heart do a flip in her chest and she looked up at him.

"Good morning," she whispered, giving him a small smile.

"Good morning," he whispered back, leaning forward and giving her a light kiss on the lips.

He moved to pull away but Hermione grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him back to her. Their lips connected again and her mouth opened to his. He slanted his mouth over hers slowly, languidly and her hands tightened on his t-shirt. All of a sudden, he rolled so that he was on top of her, his body pressed against hers, his hands on either side of her head. Her hands were trapped between their bodies and she pushed up on him a little so she could free them. Once they were free, she ran her hands up his back and he pushed his hips down into her, causing her to exhale sharply. She slid her hands under his t-shirt, running her hands over the strong muscles of his back. At that, he moved his right hand under her shirt. He slid his hand up her rib before closing it over her breast. He rolled her nipple between his fingers as he buried his mouth in her throat, biting down on her neck as he pinched her nipple, this time drawing a loud moan from her. She reached up and dragged his face back to hers, putting everything she was feeling into one shattering kiss. Draco pulled back from the kiss and looked into her eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked, hoarsely. "Because if you're not, you better tell me to stop right now."

"Are you?" Hermione countered.

He responded by closing the distance between them and kissing her hard. He leaned back only for a moment to tear the t-shirt over his head before attacking her mouth again. His mouth kept her so busy she barely noticed as he slid her t-shirt up, breaking the kiss this time to pull her t-shirt off. The minute her t-shirt was off, he didn't waste a minute sliding down her body and closing his mouth over her left breast. He rolled her left nipple in his mouth with his tongue while pinching the right with his hand. When Hermione moaned again, he switched briefly before sliding down her body. He pressed open-mouth kisses to her stomach before pausing at her pajama shorts. He looked up at her, giving her another opportunity to say no, but when she said nothing, he slid her pajama shorts and her underwear off her body. For a moment, he leaned back on his haunches and stared at her, seeming to take in the sight of her naked. He stared just long enough that Hermione pushed herself up and rose to her knees. She leaned into kiss him and, simultaneously, slid one hand into his boxers. She closed her hands over his hard length, reveling in the feel. Velvet over steel. She slid her hand up and down slowly, torturously, as Draco ran his hands over her body. Suddenly, though, she found herself lying on her back again. Draco quickly took off his boxers and leaned back over her.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered before capturing her lips with his.

She slid her hand between them again and reached for him but he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Not yet," he whispered, his voice rough.

Before Hermione could protest, he released her hand and slid down her body. He pushed her legs apart and placed tiny biting kisses along the inside of her thighs. It wasn't until she gasped out please, that he stopped teasing her. He slid one finger inside of her and pumped it in and out. She gave a moan and he inserted another, pushing deep into her, rubbing against the spot inside her that made her moan again. He waited until she sounded like she was close when he withdrew his hands. She looked down at him in desperation and confusion but didn't have a moment to speak when he closed his mouth over her. He slid his tongue across her clit with long, languid strokes. He then put two fingers back inside her and pumped them in and out as he sucked her clit into his mouth. Hermione clenched the sheets as he ate her out, groaning every time his fingers hit the particularly sensitive spot inside her. Then, she came with a silent cry, her hips bucking against his face. But he didn't stop. He continued to pump in and out of her with his hand as her muscles contracted around him and her clit twitched beneath his tongue. She managed to grab his hair and she pulled him up to her and he buried his face in her neck, lining himself up at her entrance. She reached between them and slid her hand over him. He reached down and pulled her hand away, linking their hands together as he slid into her. He buried himself in her to the hilt and Hermione reveled in the feeling of having him inside her. He stayed like that for a moment too long so Hermione bucked her hips and whispered, "move." He didn't need to be told twice. He began to move in and out of her, slowly at first but gradually speeding up as they found their rhythm. His breathing began to grow more erratic and Hermione could tell he was close. She found his mouth with hers and gave him a bruising kiss. He slid his hand between them and furiously began to rub her clit. He buried his face in her neck and, when he slid his teeth down her neck, she came hard. Her orgasm triggered his own and he emptied himself into her with a deep, guttural moan.

They lay like that for a few minutes, with him still deep inside her and his full weight on top of her. Hermione managed to move her arms to wrap them around him.

"I'll move in a minute," he murmured, placing a light kiss on her neck. "As soon as I can."

Hermione slid her nails up his back in response, not having the energy to speak. He managed to roll them over so that he was lying on his back and he tucked Hermione against his side. She laid her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her body. They lay there in silence, each absorbing what had just happened. Hermione shifted closer to Draco and he placed a kiss on her forehead when she did. Hermione was the first one to break the silence.

"We should talk," she said, quietly.

When Draco didn't answer, she tried to pull away but his arm tightened around her.

She twisted herself around so she was lying partially on his chest and she could see his face. His eyes were closed and his breathing was still uneven.

"Malfoy?" she tried again. Then when she received no response. "Draco?"

His eyes opened at her use of his first name.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked, his voice quiet as well.

"This," Hermione answered, vaguely, looking away from his face and staring at his chest. "You. Us."

"I've spent the last few days trying to sort out everything that's happened," he told her, his voice still quiet. "Everything felt jumbled until I came here. With you, it all fell into place."

"Just like that?" Hermione asked, apprehensively, still staring at his chest.

She felt Draco's hand on her chin and she allowed him to raise her head so her eyes stared into his.

"Yes," Draco replied. "I think I started sliding away from what my parents had taught me during the war but I never had the chance to act or rather never took a chance to act. I did as I was told. But everyone keeps telling me to take this second chance. So I'm going to."

"You make it sound so simple," Hermione murmured. "So easy."

"It definitely won't be easy," Draco said, giving her a grin. "You're a pain in the ass."

He winced as she slapped his chest in response.

"What I'm saying is," he continued, pulling her so she was completely on top of him. "I want to try to live in this new world. I'd like you to be there with me."

"Okay," Hermione said, a smile blooming across her face. "Okay."

She leaned down and slid her mouth over his as he ran his hands up her back. She broke the kiss, however, when she heard a loud ringing.

"What the hell is that?" Draco asked, looking alarmed.

"The floo," Hermione said with a sigh. "I altered it so it makes that sound right before someone comes through."

Sure enough, as she finished her sentence, they heard the thud of someone landing in her living room. That thud was followed by a second thud.

"Hermione?" she heard Harry's voice carry through her home. "Are you awake?"

"I better go see what he wants," Hermione said, giving Draco a quick kiss.

She slid off his body and off the bed. She grabbed the first shirt she could find and threw her pajama shorts on as well. She walked to the door and turned to look back at Draco. He was laying there naked, a smug look on his face. She smiled at him, which he returned, before she opened her bedroom door closing it behind her.

She walked into the kitchen where she found Harry making coffee and Ron rummaging through her cabinets.

"Good morning," she said, startling both boys.

"Merlin, Hermione, what happened to you?" Ron exclaimed. "You look like you were attacked!"

Hermione caught a glance of her appearance in the microwave and she realized she did, in fact, look like she'd been attacked. Her hair was madly all over the place and she was fairly certain she could see the beginnings of a mark forming on her neck.

"Long night?" Harry asked, pleasantly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and he simply grinned back. Ginny had told him, she decided. But he hadn't told Ron. It would all be a story for later just as long as Draco didn't…

Before she could finish her thought, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down her hallway. She turned and saw him, wearing only his boxers, grinning at her from the end of the hallway.

"Is someone here?" Ron wanted to know, abandoning his search for food to try to move into the hallway.

Hermione shot Draco a look before moving in front of Ron so he couldn't walk any further.

"What brings you boys here this early?" she asked.

"Early?" Ron asked. "Hermione, it's nearly 10 in the morning. Certainly early for the rest of us but not early for you."

"Have a nice sleep in?" Harry asked, just a pleasantly as before, not even fazed when Hermione shot him a withering glare.

Hermione heard the sounds of footsteps coming down the hall again and she wanted to scream.

"Who's here, Hermione?" Ron asked, moving to push past her but stopping when Draco appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. "What the bloody hell is he doing here?"

Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist, dropping his chin on top of her head. "I think it's fairly obvious what I've been doing here, he said.

Hermione slapped at his hands and said, "Draco!"

"Draco?!" Ron repeated, his mouth gaping like a fish. "Since when do you call him Draco?!"

"Coffee?" Harry asked, holding up a second mug.

"Love some," Draco replied, releasing Hermione and moving past Ron to grab the mug of coffee from Harry.

He took a sip of the coffee as Hermione seethed and Ron continued to gape.

"So, what brings you lot here this morning?" Draco asked, in the same pleasant tone Harry had been using.

"This isn't happening," Hermione whispered in horror, closing her eyes tightly, hoping this was all a terrible dream.

But when she opened her eyes, Harry and Draco were looking at her with the same stupid grins on their faces and Ron, who had gotten over his shock, looked mutinous.

"Hermione, you can't be serious," Ron snapped. "Him? HIM?!"

"Yes, me, Weasley," Draco answered for Hermione, in the same tone one might discuss the weather in.

"How could you do this?" Ron yelled, moving aggressively toward Hermione. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hey," Harry said, setting down his coffee and stepping between them. "Ron, that's enough."

"Did you know?" Ron asked, whirling around to look at Harry.

"I guessed," Harry replied, honestly.

"You GUESSED!?" Ron repeated, in disbelief. "Guessed based on what?"

"It's a long story, Ron," Hermione said, chiming in. "But all you need to know is that I'm seeing Draco."

"This is twisted," Ron replied, in disgust. "I thought better of you, Hermione."

At that, he stormed out of the kitchen. Hermione gave Draco and Harry apologetic looks before she went after him. Draco moved to follow but Harry grabbed him by the arm and shook his head. They heard the sound of the floo and, a minute later, Hermione came into the kitchen looking dejected.

"He wouldn't listen," Hermione said, sadly. "Woudn't let me explain."

"He'll come around," Harry told her, giving her a hug, not unaware of how Draco tensed when he did so. "You know how Ron is. He overreacts but in the end, he loves you. We'll find a way. We always do."

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said, hugging him back.

Harry released her and Hermione looked to Draco. He said nothing, only sipped his coffee.

"So what did bring you here this morning?" Hermione asked, looking back to Harry.

"Erin's team got into Pansy's house," Harry replied. "They still have to go through the whole house to make sure it won't kill us but she said we should be able to get in there this afternoon. Apparently there's something we need to see."

"That's great, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "When do you want to go?"

"I thought we could head over now," Harry answered. "That way we would be there whenever they cleared it."

"Hang on," Draco said, from behind Harry. "You lot are going to just go barging into a place you needed curse breakers to get into in the first place?"

"I'll need about an hour," Hermione told Harry, choosing not to answer Draco. "I need to shower, get dressed, and I should probably get Draco back to the safe house."

"I've got a portkey for Malfoy," Harry said, producing a small pouch from his pocket and placing it on the kitchen counter. "So he can leave from here. And I've got a portkey for us to Asylum at my place. Why don't you floo over when you're ready and we can go?"

"Sounds good," Hermione replied.

"I'll head out then," Harry said, draining his mug.

Harry set his mug in the sink and, after giving Draco a nod and Hermione a quick kiss on the cheek, he walked out of the kitchen. Hermione waited for the sound of the floo before turning to look at Draco.

"Yes," she said, elaborating when he gave her a confused look. "Yes, we're going to go barging into a place we needed curse breakers to get into. There's probably valuable evidence inside that we need to have in order to figure out what the escaped residents are going to do."

"Does your entire house have a death wish or is it just those of you who are close to Potter?" Draco asked, agitated.

"Draco," Hermione said, warningly.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you," Draco said, quietly.

Hermione crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist. His arms came around her shoulders and she leaned into him.

"I promise to make Harry go in first," she said, lifting her head to look at him when she felt him chuckle.

He looked down at her and gave her a long kiss.

"I need to get ready," Hermione told him. "I'll come to the safehouse when I'm done."

"Okay," Draco relented, releasing her from his hold. "I better put some clothes on. I'm going to have enough questions to answer as is for not returning last night."

Hermione gave him a quick peck on the lips before sliding her hand into his and walking back into her room. She gave Draco another kiss before grabbing a towel and heading into the bathroom. When she emerged 20 minutes later, he was gone. It was almost as if he hadn't been there, she thought, looking around the room, trying to ignore the small pang in her heart. But then she saw a single, red rose sitting on her dresser on top of the t-shirt she'd given him to wear. She walked over to the dresser and picked up the flower with a smile. She set it back down and quickly got dressed. About 15 minutes later, after eating a quick breakfast, Hermione flooed to Harry's home. When she stepped out of the floo, she followed the sound of music into the kitchen. She found Harry sitting at the center island in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in front of him.

"Where's Ginny?" Hermione wanted to know, sliding onto a chair next to him.

"Upstairs," Harry told her. "She threw up again this morning. Hannah is going to come by in a bit to check on her and see if she can figure out what's going on."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here with her?" Hermione asked. "I'm sure your team can handle Pansy's house on their own. And I'll be there."

"Ginny told me to go to work," Harry replied, with a half-laugh. "She said she's the sick one, not me, and there are Death Eaters to catch."

"Sounds like Gin," Hermione said, with a laugh.

"So you and Malfoy?" Harry asked, looking at her with an indiscernible look on his face.

"Me and him," Hermione echoed. "Harry, I wish I could explain how it happened but I just can't."

"Are you happy?" Harry wanted to know.

"I am," Hermione told him. "I really am."

"Then that's good enough for me," Harry said, giving her a smile. "Though I still think he's an asshole."

"I'm sure he probably feels the same way that you do," Hermione replied, with a laugh.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked, sliding his still full mug away from him and pulling a chess piece from his pocket. "Ron is going to meet us there."

"Yes," Hermione confirmed. "Let's see what's happening in Asylum."

Hermione and Harry linked hands with the chess piece between them. Harry activated the portkey and Hermione felt the now all too familiar pull of the portkey drag them to Asylum.

* * *

A/N: I'm a firm believer that Harry and Draco would probably have gotten along pretty well if Draco hadn't been a little shit the first time they met. So I made them get along!


	20. Chapter 19

When they arrived at the Parkinson home, a group of people Hermione did not recognize were standing on the front porch. There were four of them, all dressed in black, with a green wand insignia on the back. As the group of them approached, a tall, lanky brunette turned toward them. Hermione watched as Harry approached her and the two embraced. Hermione came up next to them.

"Hermione, this is Erin Elles," Harry said, grinning at the woman next to him. "The best cursebreaker in the world."

"Erin, please," Erin replied, with a laugh. "Best cursebreaker in the world is a mouthful."

"Nice to meet you," Hermione answered, smiling. "How do you two know each other?"

"We did auror training together," Harry explained. "But Erin decided her talents were best used as a cursebreaker instead of an auror."

"My husband is in a band," Erin told her. "He tours around the world and so being a cursebreaker was an easy way to be able to stay with him."

"Hey, Erin, how's it going?" Ron asked, announcing his arrival by interrupting the conversation. "So what's going on with this house?"

"Still as well mannered as ever, I see," Erin replied with a laugh. "Why don't you come in and see for yourself?"

Erin turned and, after a quick word to her team, she entered the house with Hermione, Harry and Ron behind her, with her team bringing up the lead. When they entered the home, Hermione was shocked.

"What the hell?" Ron asked, looking around the main floor of the house.

"Well, this isn't what I expected," Harry said, also surveying the space.

The main floor was completely ordinary. From the hallway they could see into the living room, dining room, and kitchen, all of which looked exactly the way the rooms looked in every other home in Asylum.

"This is how the entire house looks," Erin told them. "There's nothing out of the ordinary throughout the entire house."

"So looks like Pansy didn't actually have anything to do with orchestrating all of this," Ron said, looking at Hermione.

"What spells were used on the front door?" Hermione asked, turning to Erin and ignoring Ron.

"That's the weird thing," Erin said. "The front door was sealed. Not locked. Sealed shut. It took the magic of my entire team to unseal it as well as several combinations of rather complex spells to get in once the door was unsealed."

"There must be something here then," Harry answered. "There's no way someone would go through that much trouble if there wasn't something they didn't want us to see."

"There was one spell placed on the door that we were unable to identify," Erin told them.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"We can't figure out what the spell does," Erin replied. "We were able to get into the house, remove all the other spells, but there's still a small magical signature left. It seemed harmless so we left it alone."

"You're sure it's harmless?" Ron asked, suddenly uneasy.

"As far as we can tell, it doesn't do anything," Erin told them. "We'll stay on site in case you need us but as far as we can tell the house is safe for you to look through."

"Good enough for me," Harry answered. "I'll take this floor. Ron, why don't you take the basement? Hermione, you take the upstairs? Erin, if we could have one member of your team go with each of us that would be great."

"Sounds good," Erin replied. "I'll work on trying to figure out that last spell on the door and send the rest of my team with all of you."

"Let's get to work," Harry said.

The pairs split and Hermione walked up the stairs with Barbara, the member of Erin's team who'd been assigned to go with her. Together, the two women moved through the master bedroom, the bathroom, and what looked like it might be a study. Finding nothing, they continued to the last room on the floor. Hermione opened the door and saw that it was a bedroom that screamed Pansy. How the hell had she gotten fuzzy zebra print? Hermione wondered as she looked around the obnoxiously pink and lime green bedroom.

"This is horrible," Barbara commented and Hermione murmured her assent.

She looked through the room and her eye was drawn to the bedside table. Hermione went to open the sole drawer but it wouldn't budge. Barbara, noticing that Hermione couldn't open the drawer, motioned for her to step aside. Hermione stepped back and allowed Barbara to look at the drawer. She cast a quick succession of spells before turning to Hermione.

"This is the same magic and spells used on the front door," Barbara told her. "I'm going to need the whole team to open it."

Hermione opened her mouth to offer to go downstairs and get everyone when she heard footsteps on the stairs. A moment later, Harry, Ron, and Erin appeared in the doorway of the bedroom.

"We need the whole team," Barbara said, looking to Erin. "We've got a sealed drawer."

Erin nodded in response and, after shouting down the stairs to the rest of her team, she joined Barbara in the room. The two of them stood in front of the drawer and, a minute later, the rest of the team appeared.

"We're going to ask you to step out into the hall," Erin said, authoritatively. "We'll let you in when we're done."

Hermione moved out of the room and, before she could say a word, Erin shut the bedroom door. Hermione turned and looked to Harry and Ron.

"Well that was rude," Hermione said, annoyed.

"She's just doing her job," Harry replied. "Safety is her top priority. Her first year as a cursebreaker, she allowed a civilian to stay in the room when they were breaking into a safe and one of the spells rebounded and killed him."

"Jeez," Hermione breathed. "Okay, I understand now why she kicked us out."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, followed by a loud screech, followed by another, even louder bang. A moment later, Erin opened the door.

"Ready to take a look?" Erin asked, grinning at the look of horror on their faces.

Hermione was the first to recover from the loud noises and moved into the room. She made her way over to the drawer and looked inside. There were glittery pens, make up, and small stuffed animals in the drawer. Hermione shifted the contents around and only found a small mirror and nail polish.

"There's nothing here," Hermione groaned, frustrated.

"Maybe there's a hide," Ron said.

"A what?" Harry asked.

"A hide," Ron repeated. "You know, like a secret compartment. Hermione put your hand back in the drawer."

Without questioning, Hermione did as she was told.

"See," Ron said. "Hermione's hand only goes in as far as her wrist but if you look at the front of it, the drawer should be deeper than that. Probably a false bottom."

"How can we check?" Hermione asked, suddenly excited.

"Dump the drawer," Ron replied. "Here, let me."

Hermione stepped out of the way and watched as Ron easily pulled the drawer from the bedside table. He dumped the contents on the floor and, with a tap of his wand, removed a thin piece of wood from the bottom of the drawer. He reached in and pulled out a black, leather covered notebook. He handed it over to Hermione and placed the drawer on the bed.

"What is it?" Harry asked, looking over Hermione's shoulder.

"It's a journal," Hermione told him, flipping through the pages. "Looks like it starts about three months ago."

"What's it say?" Ron queried.

"She was getting her memories back," Hermione said, scanning the pages quickly. "She was remembering bits and pieces of things."

Suddenly Hermione stopped reading and flipped through the pages of the rest of the book.

"Hermione, I know you read fast, but that seems fast even for you," Harry joked.

"It stops," Hermione told him. "The last entry is from a few weeks ago and then, very abruptly, it just stops."

"What does that mean?" Ron asked.

"It means she probably got her memories back," Harry said, grimly. "All of them. Once she realized what had happened, she stopped writing and locked this away."

"She would have been the first to remember then," Hermione said. "She must be the one who was contacting Kingsley, she might even be the one who killed him."

"Okay, seriously?" Ron interrupted. "We're talking about Pansy Parkinson. Dumb as a rock, as unfortunate looking as she was intelligent. Did she even take the mark?"

"The night before the Battle of Hogwarts," Hermione said, closing the journal. "She was an official Death Eater for less than 24 hours. But that doesn't mean anything."

"I just think you're giving her way too much credit," Ron answered, shaking his head.

"I think we can't rule anything out," Harry chimed in. "The magic on the drawer is the same magic from the front door, right? All signs for now point to Pansy. But none of that matters if we don't find them."

"We have our entire team on alert," Ron replied. "We'll find them."

"Wait," Erin said, cutting in. "What did you just say?"

"We'll find them?" Ron repeated, confused. "Why?"

"No, no," Erin replied. "Before that. You said, you have your entire team on...oh Merlin!"

Without another word, Erin rushed out of the room. Confused but concerned, everyone else followed her out. When they found her, Erin was standing in the doorway of the front door, muttering to herself and casting a quick succession of spells. Then, without warning, she blasted the hinges of the door.

"Erin, what the-?" Harry began but she shushed him before he could finish. She gestured for them to follow her and the entire group walked out of the house, off the porch, and onto the sidewalk.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"It was an alerting spell," Erin told them, grimly. "I didn't recognize it because it's actually a combination of two spells, one that lets the castor know when the threshold has been breached and another that broadcasts sound."

"So whoever cast the spell knows we got into the house and heard everything we said," Hermione said, a look of concern on her face. "Not just when we were coming into the house but when we were in the bedroom too."

"So what does that mean?" Ron asked.

But before anyone could answer him, there was a loud bang. Hermione whipped around and saw that smoke was now billowing out of the Parkinson home from Pansy's bedroom. The bang from the Parkinson home was followed by a series of bangs and, one by one, they watched in horror as several of the houses in Asylum went up into flames. Reacting quickly, Harry send an emergency patronus alerting the wizarding fire department to their location. Fortunately, the wizarding fire department had privileges that allowed them to apparate anywhere in England. A minute later, the full department appeared and immediately went to work putting out the fires.

"We should get out of here," Harry said, as he narrowly dodged being hit by a spray of water. "Erin, thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," Erin replied. "Good luck!"

At that, Erin and her team activated their portkeys and disappeared. Once they were gone, Harry turned to Ron and Hermione.

"We need to get back to the museum," Harry told them. "Our teams should be there waiting."

Harry was just pulling out portkeys when a familiar lemus patronus appeared in front of him.

"Emergency, 50 miles north, Ainsley," it said, before disappearing.

"Ainsley?" Ron repeated. "I've never heard of it."

"It's a muggle village," Hermione told him. "Tiny farming village. I think about 200 people live there."

"Let's go," Harry said, tucking away the portkey. "We'll have to apparate there."

Quickly, they walked outside the boundaries of Asylum and, keeping Chatteris in their minds, they apparated away. When they arrived, they weren't prepared for what they saw. The main road in the village was lined with bodies. Men, women, children, all lined up like soldiers. The buildings along the street were drenched in blood. Seamus, Katie, and Dean walked toward them, their faces completely devoid of color.

"We got an owl at the Ministry," Seamus said, quietly, looking at Harry. "A piece of paper with two words on it, Asylum and Ainsley. It took us 15 minutes just to figure out what Ainsley was. When we got here, this is what we found."

Hermione moved away from the group and moved to go toward the bodies but Ron grabbed her arm.

"Don't," he said, quietly. "We need to get a team here. You'll compromise the scene."

Hermione dashed away the tears she didn't even realize were falling from her eyes and pulled away from Ron.

"We know who did this," Hermione said, harshly. "There's no evidence to collect."

She moved away from them and said nothing when Katie walked up next to her. They stopped where the line of bodies began. Hermione looked down at the body of the woman laying at her feet and gasped.

"All their eyes are open," Katie said, choking on her words. "We couldn't get them to close. They're charmed open."

Hermione moved silently through the street, looking at every single person, imprinting it in their memory. As she walked, she felt her anger start to build as the tears flowed freely down her face. Maybe Ron was right, she thought, not bothering to wipe away the tears. Maybe there were some people who just couldn't be saved. Lost in her thoughts, Hermione almost missed it. But it caught her eye as well as Susan's and they stopped in their tracks. Hermione turned to her left and saw it again. The slightest amount of movement from a small boy who was nearly completely covered by the body of a larger man. She and Susan looked at one another before dashing forward and quickly rolling the man's body off the boy. A pair of small, green eyes stared back at her and, for a moment, Hermione thought she was going crazy. But then, the boy's hand moved just slightly as his eyes fixed on hers.

"We have a survivor," Hermione called out frantically, lifting the boy into her arms.

She could feel a faint heartbeat as she held the child to her. She ignored the feeling of the blood soaking into her clothes as she ran toward the group.

"We need to get him to St. Mungo's," Hermione said, urgently. "I'll take him."

"Hermione, he's in no shape to be apparated," Harry replied, looking at the large gashes that were all over the boy's body.

"Then we get a healer to come here," Hermione answered, nearing hysteria. "We have to do something!"

"Let me see him," Dean said, approaching Hermione. "I have some med training from being best friends with Seamus."

Hermione smiled at him through her tears and set the boy down on the ground, cradling his head in her lap. Dean quickly looked over the boy and cast a few quick stitching spells to close the open wounds. He then cast another spell Hermione didn't recognize. The boy immediately became cold to the touch. Dean also cast a spell over the boy's eyes, causing them to fill with tears.

"What did you do?" Hermione asked.

"A freezing spell," Dean said. "It'll keep everything from moving. And a moisture spell to keep his eyes from being damaged since we can't close his eyelids. You can apparate with him now."

"Thank you," Hermione replied, gratefully, lifting the boy back into her arms.

"Go," Harry told her. "But you need to come back as soon as you drop him off. We need you here."

"I will," Hermione promised.

Without another word, she apparated away and reappeared at the emergency entrance to St. Mungo's. She was immediately greeted by a team of healers standing at the front door.

"Please," she said. "You need to help this boy. Right now."

"M'am we can't do that right now," the oldest healer answered, stepping in her way as she tried to move past the healers. "We're in code black protocol."

"I don't know what that means," Hermione replied, angrily. "But this boy needs help. He's been badly hurt. You need to help him NOW!"

"Hermione, calm down," a voice said from behind the row of healers.

Hermione was relieved to see Neville Longbottom emerge through the wall of healers.

"Neville, thank Merlin" Hermione said, frantically. "This boy is going to die if he doesn't get help right now."

"David, take the boy to 1," Neville ordered the man who had tried to stop Hermione.

"But Healer Longbottom," David tried to argue but she cut him off.

"Now," Neville said, sternly.

Hermione quickly handed the boy over to David, who whisked the boy into the hospital. Hermione turned to Neville.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked. "What's code black?"

Before he could answer, the familiar whoosh of a portkey came from behind Hermione. Hermione watched in horror as bodies began to appear directly outside the emergency room.

"The Ministry was attacked," Neville shouted, rushing passed Hermione to get to the patients. "Code black means mass casualties."

Hermione stepped out of the way as the healers went to work, shouting to one another and wheeling people into the hospital. Realizing she was in the way, Hermione apparated back to Ainsley and ran to Harry and Ron, who were overseeing a group of forensic wizards who looked to be preparing the bodies for transport to the morgue.

"The Ministry has been attacked," Hermione cried, running towards the two men.

"What?" Harry asked, his eyes wide with disbelief. "When?"

"I don't know," Hermione said, stopping in front of them and not bothering to catch her breath. "St. Mungo's is in code black and the Ministry was attacked. That's all I know."

"My father," Ron said, his eyes wide.

Suddenly, there was a pop and Arthur Weasley appeared.

"Dad!" Ron shouted, rushing forward and hugging his father. "You're okay."

"I went to the Burrow to have lunch with your mother," Arthur said, patting Ron on the back. "I waited there for 20 minutes before she showed up. We'd just finished eating when I got the news."

"Do we know what's going on?" Harry asked, all business.

"A muggle bomb was set off in the lobby of the Ministry," Arthur said, grimly. "We're doing a full sweep of the Ministry right now and we're sending people to St. Mungo's as we come upon them. Last report said that there were already 20 dead."

"We have about 200 dead here," Harry told him. "That group is working quickly. All of this is perfectly planned and spread out across England. This is designed to create chaos."

"And it's working," Arthur said. "Everyone is scrambling and our resources are spread thin."

"What can we do?" Hermione asked.

"We need to get organized," Arthur replied. "Harry, have two people from your team stay here to deal with this. I want you and Ron at the Ministry immediately. I want at least one other person from your team to go check in on Asylum then join us at the Ministry. I need someone else to go speak with the former residents; they need to be made aware of what's going on."

"Dean and Seamus can stay here," Harry said, thinking quickly. "I'll send Katie to check on Asylum."

"I'll go speak to the former residents," Hermione volunteered. "What should I tell them?"

"Everything," Arthur said. "If they have any idea of why this group is doing this or what they may do next, we need to know."

"You want me to interrogate them?" Hermione asked, horrified. "I can't do that."

"I want you to talk to them," Arthur told her. "I would never ask you to do anything else."

"Okay," Hermione answered, relaxing a little. "I'll talk to them."

"I want everyone to reconvene at Grimmauld Place when they're done," Arthur replied. "That's probably the safest place for us to meet."

"I'll owl Ginny to let her know," Harry replied. "The wards should already let in everyone who'd be coming."

"We need to act and we need to act quickly," Arthur said. "Be careful and good luck."

Hermione gave a quick smile to the boys before apparating to her apartment. She quickly grabbed the portkey she had for the safe house where the former residents were staying and portkeyed there immediately. She knocked on the front door and, a minute later, Draco appeared at the door.

"Granger, what happened?" he shouted, pulling her into the house and shutting the door behind her.

Without hesitation, he began to run his hands over her torso and it was then that she realized she was still covered in blood.

"Malfoy, Draco," she said, grabbing his wrists. "It's not my blood."

He stared at her, her words seeming to not register.

"It's not my blood," she repeated, releasing his wrists and bringing her hand to his face. "I'm okay."

Draco let out a harsh breath and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Don't scare me like that," he whispered, burying his face in her neck.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him and ran her hands soothingly along his back. Draco released her and looked down at his own clothes, now also covered in blood. Narcissa came into the hallway at that exact moment.

"Ms. Granger, are you hurt?" she asked, rushing forward.

"I'm fine," Hermione told her. "Something has happened and I need to talk to you all. Can you have everyone meet me in the living room?"

"I'll gather everyone," Narcissa replied. "Why don't you two go get cleaned up? You look dreadful."

With a half laugh, Hermione allowed herself to be led to what she assumed was Draco's bedroom.

"I'll grab you clothes from one of the closets in the other room," he offered. "The girls' bathroom is just down the hall."

Draco walked out of the room before she could thank him. Hermione went down the hallway and opted just to rinse off in the sink rather than taking a full shower. She grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet in the bathroom and began to wash the blood from her hands. Halfway through, there was a knock of the bathroom door. It opened slightly and she held back a laugh as a pale blue dress floated in the door before the door slammed shut. Hermione finished cleaning off and changed into the dress. It was one of her own, she realized. Left behind during the war. Happy to have fresh clothes, Hermione emerged from the bathroom to find Draco leaning against the wall outside the bathroom. He'd changed into a Puddlemere t-shirt she was pretty sure had been Ron's that hung loosely on his slight frame. She walked toward him, taking the hand that he held out to her. He pulled her flush against him, wrapped his arms around her and just held her.

"I'm okay," Hermione whispered, her face in his chest.

"I haven't been scared like that since the war," Draco whispered back. "I'm not...used to feeling that fear for someone other than my family."

"I'm okay," Hermione repeated, unsure what else to say.

"Okay," Draco said, releasing her. "Why were you covered in someone else's blood?"

"That's what I'm here to talk about," Hermione replied, with a sigh. "It'll be easier to just explain it to everyone at once."

"Was it the Death Eaters who got away?" he asked, grabbing her arm when she moved to walk down the hall. "Have they done something?"

"They've done a lot," Hermione told him, sadly. "I'll tell you about it downstairs."

Hermione stepped away from Draco and they walked downstairs into the living room. Hermione saw that Narcissa had assembled everyone in the living room and had even made tea. Hermione smiled at the older woman gratefully when she handed Hermione a cup of tea and ushered her into a chair that had been placed at the front of the room. Draco sat down next to his mother, who was sitting on a couch immediately to Hermione's right. Narcissa shifted over so Draco could sit directly next to Hermione. Hermione took a sip of the tea and began. She forced herself to look every single one of them in the eye as she explained everything that had happened from Asylum, to Ainsley, to the Ministry. She watched as horror crossed the face of every single person in the room. When she was finished, she took a long sip of her tea before asking the question she'd been dreading asking.

"Does anyone know anything about this?" Hermione asked. "Does anyone know what they might do next?"

Her question hung in the air for a beat before an answer came from her right.

"I do," Draco said, quietly and Hermione felt her heart clench at his words. "I know."

* * *

A/N: Of course he does. Because having everything go smoothly would make for quite a boring story.

You'll notice I introduced an original character, Erin Elles. My good friend brought Dramione into my life and was/still is the first person I've ever shown my stories to. She encouraged me to write and to post my writing online. Without her, none of my stories would exist. So she gets written in as a thank you :)


	21. Chapter 20

Draco's words seemed to echo through the small living room.

"Draco, what are you talking about?" Narcissa asked, sharply.

Draco stared at the floor for a moment before answering. "Pansy mentioned a plan," he explained. "She never told me details but she said chaos would lead to payback. She said that a few times. It didn't make any sense to me at the time but now it does."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and Narcissa visibly relaxed.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Hermione wanted to know.

"I honestly didn't put it together until now," Draco replied. "At the time it just seemed like Pansy's crazy ramblings. She'd switch to talking about clothes and makeup thirty seconds later. I didn't think anything of it."

"Now that you mention it, Pansy said something similar to me," Daphne added. "Those words, chaos leads to payback. When I asked her what she meant, she said I'd understand soon."

"Did she say anything to anyone else?" Hermione urged.

"She said that to me too," Greg said, dully. "She said when the time came, I'd fall in line like I always did."

"Blaise, what about you?" Hermione asked. "It seems like she was trying to plant these ideas in people's heads before they could fully understand what it meant. Did she ever say anything to you?"

"Never," Blaise replied. "But, if we're being forthcoming, she and I were sleeping together. She probably assumed that she didn't need to do that for me because I'd just fall in line."

"So she's created chaos," Narcissa said, chiming in. "What would payback be?"

"I don't know," Hermione admitted. "Do any of you have any idea?"

"Well she would blame the Order for what's happened," Blaise said, thoughtfully. "So she'd probably try to find a way to directly attack the Order."

"But how would she do that?" Daphne asked. "I'm sure you all have insane amounts of security."

"We do," Hermione replied. "And I'm the only member of the Order she's had any contact with. But she couldn't come after me, I'm not an easy target."

"Polyjuice," Greg said, quietly.

Hermione's head whipped toward him. "What did you say?"

Greg raised his head as if he didn't realize he'd spoken out loud. "Um, er, polyjuice," he repeated. "If you were the only Order member she could get to maybe she'd use you to get to another by pretending to be you."

"But how could she have gotten a piece of Hermione's hair?" Astoria asked.

"The guest room," Draco said, looking at Hermione. "When she brought you the dress, she probably had the opportunity to get a piece of your hair off the bed or maybe the floor."

"That's...diabolical," Hermione replied. "But completely plausible. Who knew Pansy was capable of this?"

"We all did," Blaise replied. "Not directly but at Hogwarts she had one goal - marry a rich pureblood. School didn't matter, intelligence didn't matter, so she could just get by using her body to try to snag a man. In Asylum, that didn't matter anymore so she was forced to think. She's actually incredibly smart."

"So what would she do?" Hermione asked. "She's able to polyjuice into me, what would she do? Kill someone pretending to me?"

"That's too simple," Blaise said, thinking quickly. "She's created this elaborate plan, she's created chaos, her plan for payback would be equally as well thought out."

"Kidnapping," Greg said, in the same quiet, dull tone. "A pureblood family favorite."

"Of course," Hermione replied. "What better way to bring attention to the Order and everything that's happened than to kidnap a member of the Order. But who?"

Her question was met with silence.

"Well I need to get back," Hermione said, rising from the chair. "I need to let everyone else know what I've learned. Thank you, all of you, for your help."

"Will we be safe here?" Astoria asked, in a small voice.

"Yes," Hermione replied. "There's only four people who know you're here. And I'll add an extra charm before I leave that will alert me and only me when someone tries to gain entry to the house."

"Thank you, Hermione," Narcissa said, sincerely.

"You're welcome," Hermione answered, with a smile. "I'll pop upstairs and cast the spell from the top porch."

Hermione rose from her seat and began to make her way upstairs. She realized that Draco had followed her. When they reached the top of the stairs, Hermione turned to look at Draco but, when he didn't say a word, she turned back around. Hermione moved down the hall but stopped when she didn't hear Draco's footsteps behind her. She turned and saw that he was stopped at the top of the stairs, a distraught look on his face. She moved back toward him and took his face in her hands.

"What's going on, Malfoy?"

"How many people died in that muggle town?" he asked, not meeting her eyes.

"Malfoy," Hermione said, warningly.

"How many?" Draco snapped, his eyes latching onto hers.

Hermione could see emotion swimming in his eyes.

"How many?" he repeated, even more harshly than before.

"About 200," Hermione told him, tightening her grip on his face when he tried to pull away. "This isn't your fault."

"I know it's not my fault," he replied, pulling his face out of her hands and moving past her into the hallway. "But it could have been."

Hermione watched as he began to pace.

"Damn it, Granger, if my mother hadn't stopped me, if you hadn't come into my life when you did, that could have been me," he ranted. "I could have killed all those people. I did kill people. Just because of a stupid set of beliefs that turned out to be wrong."

"But your mother did stop you," Hermione said, moving slowly toward him. "And I'm here. Malfoy, you had no part in what Pansy has done. Don't blame yourself."

"But I fought for that side," Draco replied, his voice breaking. "I took the fucking mark. I'm a part of this."

"You were a part of it," Hermione answered, honestly, moving so she was directly in front of him. "But you're not anymore."

Hermione took Draco's hands in hers and she moved in so she was flush against him, looking up at him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, quietly, leaning down so their foreheads met. "I'm so sorry."

"You're forgiven," Hermione replied, squeezing his hands. "Now, we move on."

"Okay," he breathed, lifting his head from hers and looking her in the eyes. "Okay."

Hermione smiled at Draco and he leaned in and placed a light kiss on her lips.

"I have to cast this spell," Hermione said, pulling back from him. "I'll be right back."

Hermione pulled herself away from Draco and tried to ignore how hard it was becoming to walk away from him. She walked into the largest bedroom on the floor and out onto the small porch. Pointing her wand to the top of the house, she cast the spell and watched as the yellow sparks weaved around the house. When they disappeared, Hermione sent a quick patronus to Harry and Ron with two words, "polyjuice protocol" hoping the boys would understand her meaning. She went back inside and found Draco still standing in the hallway.

"I have to go," she said, walking toward him. "I'll come back when I can."

"Let me come with you," Draco requested. "I can help."

"Malfoy, no," Hermione replied. "It's too dangerous."

"You're going," he said, his tone accusatory. "It's dangerous for me which means it's dangerous for you but you're going anyway."

"That's different," Hermione began but Draco cut her off.

"Let me do this," he pleaded. "I need to do this."

Hermione looked at him for a moment before relenting. "Fine," she said. "But you have to play nice."

"Granger, you don't want me to make promises I can't keep," he said, his trademark smirk returning to his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes in response. "Let's go," she said, deciding not to push the issue.

Together, they descended the stairs and found Blaise standing by the front door.

"I'd like to come with you," Blaise said, when they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I know Pansy, I think I could help."

"Fine," Hermione replied.

"Fine!?" Draco exclaimed. "I want to come and you give me shit but HE wants to come and all of a sudden it's fine?!"

"I don't have time to fight with a second person," Hermione said, with a shrug. "And you both can be useful so let's just go. But first, the two of you have to do me a favor."

"What?" Draco asked, suspiciously.

"Both of you go speak to Greg," she ordered. "Tell him that he's the one who's responsible for protecting everyone in this house. He's in charge."

"Why don't you just tell him?" Draco wanted to know. "He'd listen to you."

"He needs to have purpose again," Hermione answered. "But he won't find it because he's back on follow orders mode. So you'll give him a order which will give him purpose."

"Brilliant," Blaise said with admiration. "We'll be right back."

The two men disappeared into the living room as Harry's patronus appeared in the hallway.

"Grimmauld, now," Harry's voice said, with an edge of franticness.

Hermione quickly sent her patronus back to let him know she was bringing Draco and Blaise. When the two men returned a moment later, Hermione opened the front door and they went outside. Hermione linked arms with both of them and apparated them all away to Grimmauld Place. When they arrived, Hermione moved quickly to the front door. She raised her hand to the door and knocked twice, knocked once, then knocked three times. The door opened a moment later and Harry held her at wand point. Both Blaise and Draco rushed forward but stopped when Hermione held up her hand.

"What happened to Dolores Umbridge?" Harry asked.

"Centaurs in the Forbidden Forest," Hermione answered, with a grin. "Not our finest plan."

Harry lowered his wand and returned her grin. "To be fair, most of our plans sucked."

Hermione walked into the home, gesturing for Draco and Blaise to follow.

"When did you get here?" Hermione asked.

"About 10 seconds ago," Harry replied. "I had just shut the front door when you knocked. Everyone else should be here soon."

"Where's Gin?" Hermione wanted to know.

"I'm assuming she's upstairs," Harry told her. "I figured I'd poke my head in on her before everyone arrived."

As Harry finished his sentence, the floo lit green and, a moment later, out came Ron, Arthur, Molly, and Minerva McGonagall. Before Hermione could even greet them, there was the familiar knock at the front door. Harry disappeared to answer the door and returned with Seamus, Dean, Katie, Dennis, Padma, and Millicent. Everyone settled into the living room while Harry and Arthur stood at the front of the room.

"Okay," Arthur said. "Status report."

"We managed to put out all the fires in Asylum," Harry began. "All of the bodies were transported to the morgue from Ainsley and one of the coroners was able to close everyone's eyes. The lone survivor is in critical but stable condition at St. Mungos. The bomb at the Ministry caused a great deal of damage to the building, killed several people, and injured many more. Hermione, what's going on at the safe house?"

Hermione tried to push away her emotions as she thought of the boy who'd survived the massacre in Ainsley. She explained to the room what she'd learned while she'd been in the safe house. She told everyone why she brought Draco and Blaise along.

"So that's where we stand," Harry said. "As far as we know, Hermione is the only person Pansy could have polyjuiced so be wary."

"What do we do now?" Ron wanted to know.

"Everyone will work in pairs, at least," Arthur replied. "If they're going to come after a member of the Order, we're going to make it as difficult for them as possible."

"Do either of you have any idea where they could go?" Harry asked, looking to Blaise and Draco. "Anywhere that the Ministry wouldn't know about?"

"All our families have summer homes," Draco replied. "It wouldn't surprise me if the Ministry didn't know about them."

"We seized all Death Eater assets when the war ended," Ron told them. "So we probably already know."

"Summer homes are always kept under false names," Draco replied. "That's how it's been for hundreds of years."

"So the Ministry couldn't find them without the owner telling them," Hermione said, thoughtfully. "Do you know where the houses are?"

"Maybe," Blaise replied. "But we were kids when we were there. I don't know how well we'd remember where they were."

"My mother would know," Draco offered. "And I know she'd be willing to help."

"Okay, okay," Harry said, thinking. "So why don't the two of you go back to the safehouse and talk to Narcissa. Have her make a list of everywhere she can remember there were summer homes. Then come back here."

"Who's going to go with them?" Ron asked.

"No one," Harry said, looking at the two men. "I'll give them a portkey and they'll do it on their own."

Ron opened his mouth to answer but Hermione quickly hit him with a silencing charm. He waved his arms in rage but Molly gave him one look and he immediately stopped, dropping his arms to his side.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Blaise said, holding out his hand for the portkey.

Harry handed over the portkey and Blaise stepped back toward Draco. Draco moved up next to Hermione and gave her hand a squeeze before turning toward Blaise. With a whoosh, the two men disappeared.

"Is there anything else we could be doing right now?" Katie asked.

"I think right now the best thing we can do is wait for Malfoy and Zabini to come back," Harry replied. "Once they come back, we can come up with a plan of attack."

"So everyone sit tight," Arthur said.

Molly moved toward Harry at the same time that Hermione did.

"Have you been up to see Ginny?" Molly asked, a smile wide on her face.

"I'm going to pop up now," Harry replied, raising an eyebrow at his mother-in-law's grin. "Is there something I should know?"

"Just go on up and see her," Molly said, avoiding his question but still grinning.

"Okay…," Harry answered, giving Molly a confused look. "Hermione, did you want something?"

"No, no," Hermione replied. "Go ahead, I'll come up and see Gin when you're done."

Harry disappeared up the stairs and Hermione chatted amiably with Molly. Harry reappeared though a minute later.

"She's not up there," Harry told them.

"What?" Molly replied, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she's not in the room, she's not anywhere upstairs," Harry said.

"I wonder if she and Hannah went somewhere," Molly answered, thinking out loud.

"Hannah was here?" Hermione asked. "Why?"

"Why don't we floo St. Mungo's and see if they're there?" Molly offered, moving over toward the fireplace.

"Why would they be at St. Mungo's?" Harry wanted to know.

Instead of answering him, Molly activated the floo. She stuck her head in the flames, spoke to someone for a minute, before standing, her face now completely void of color.

"What is it?" Hermione asked. "What's going on?"

"I just spoke to Neville," Molly said, her breath shaky. "He thought Hannah was still here. He hasn't seen her or Ginny at all."

"Maybe they went shopping," Harry speculated. "Maybe Gin was feeling better and they decided to go out."

"Hannah just put Ginny on bed rest," Molly told them. "They shouldn't be anywhere."

"Why did she do that?" Hermione asked, confused. "I thought Gin was just a little sick. Is it serious?"

Molly looked at Harry and took his hands in hers.

"Molly, what's going on?" Harry asked, anxiety all over his face.

"Ginny is pregnant," Molly said, with a smile. "She wanted to be the one to tell you."

Harry looked like he'd been hit over the head with a brick for a moment before his face split into a huge grin.

"I'm going to be a father?" he asked.

Molly nodded, tears of joy filling her eyes.

Hermione squealed and threw her arms around Harry, nearly knocking Molly over in the process. Harry hugged her back, his face nearly splitting from the large grin. But his grin changed in a blink of the eye to a frown.

"So then where are they?" Harry wanted to know, suddenly concerned.

"Did they tell you where they were going when you were here?" Molly asked, looking at Hermione.

"They weren't here when I got here," Hermione replied, confused. "And I got here after Harry did."

"That can't be right," Molly answered, equally as confused. "Ginny floo called me about an hour ago to talk about what Hannah was suggesting for care but she ended the call because you were at the door."

Hermione looked at Harry in horror as realization dawned on them both at the same time.

"That wasn't me," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Molly, I've been at the safe house."

"Then who?" Molly began but Harry cut her off.

"Ginny and Hannah have been taken," he barked to the room, sending everyone into a tizzy.

The entire room began to talk at once, with Ron again frantically waving his arms because no one had taken the silencing spell of him. Hermione removed the silencing spell and Ron began to shout.

"QUIET!" Professor McGonagall ordered, immediately silencing the entire room. "Mr. Potter, explain yourself."

"I think Ginny and Hannah have been taken," Harry explained, with a frantic tone. "Pansy Parkinson polyjuiced herself into Hermione and took them."

"So what do we do?" Dean asked. "What do you need?"

"What we need are the list of those summer homes," Hermione said, when Harry didn't answer. "They'd need somewhere to hold both of them. They probably didn't plan on Hannah so maybe that adjustment will cause them to make a mistake."

"How can you talk about this so calmly?" Ron demanded to know. "That's my sister, your best friend, and one of our other friends that they have!"

"Because being irrational will help no one, Ronald," Hermione snapped back.

Hermione then turned to Harry who looked distraught. "Harry, I need you to go with Molly and Arthur to the Burrow."

Hermione's words seem to snap Harry out of his trance. "No," he said, forcefully. "I'll do this."

"We'll do this," Ron said, moving next to Harry.

"We all will," Seamus said, gesturing to the rest of the room.

Suddenly there was a whoosh and Draco and Blaise landed in the living room. The tension in the room was immediately apparent and Draco looked at Hermione for an answer.

"They've taken Ginny and Hannah," Hermione told him. "We need those summer homes."

"We have it all here," Blaise said, holding up a green notebook.

He passed the notebook to Hermione who opened it.

"On the first page is a list of all the properties my mother could remember," Draco explained. "And if you keep going, she diagrammed the floor plan of every single one."

Hermione handed Harry the notebook and he flipped through it quickly. "This is amazing," Harry admitted, reluctantly. "Thank you, Malfoy. Thank you, Zabini."

Draco and Blaise nodded in response and Hermione beamed at the two men.

"Okay, let's split into teams and figure out a plan of attack," Harry said. "There's about a dozen properties on this list so we'll have to figure out a plan for where to start.

"Mother suggested that you start will the Bullstrode property," Draco offered. "Their home is the most remote and Pansy is likely too smart to use the Parkinson home."

"Okay, we start there," Harry replied. "Let's take a look at these floor plans. Malfoy, Zabini, you in?"

"Seriously?" Ron asked. "You want their help?"

"My wife is missing," Harry answered, not even looking at Ron with his response. "I'd take help from Voldemort himself if it meant getting her back."

"Might as well be," Ron muttered but relented when Harry glared at him. "Fine, fine."

"So?" Harry asked, looking to Blaise and Draco. "Will you help?"

"Yes," Draco said, answering for both of them. "Whatever you need."

Blaise murmured his assent as well.

"I'd like to go home," Molly said, looking at Arthur.

"I need to get back to the Ministry," Arthur replied. "We have a tenuous hold on everything right now and I'm needed there."

"I'll take Molly home," Hermione offered. "Plans of attack aren't really my strong suit so I'll leave you all to the planning and I'll be back in time to help execute the plan."

"Thank you," Molly said, gratefully. "Can you apparate both of us? I just don't think I can."

"Absolutely," Hermione replied. "I'll be back shortly."

Hermione sent Draco a grateful smile but he didn't see because he was already bent over the dining room table with Harry. Hermione ignored the way her heart fluttered seeing Draco working closely with her best friend. Times had certainly changed, she thought to herself with a laugh.

"Ready?" Molly asked, breaking Hermione's train of thought.

"Yes," Hermione said, holding out her arm.

Molly linked her arm with Hermione's and Hermione apparated them away. They landed in the back yard and Molly immediately let go of Hermione's arm.

"I think I'm going to go lay down," Molly told her. "Will you please keep me updated on what's going on?"

"Of course," Hermione replied. "Would you like me to see if Percy can come over? Or George?"

"Yes, please," Molly said, gratefully. "George should be at the joke shop, you can floo him from the living room."

Molly went upstairs and Hermione moved toward the floo. She placed a quick floo call to George, explaining what had happened. George promised to alert the rest of the family and be over as soon as he could. When Hermione disconnected the floo call, she stood up and stretched. She cocked her ear but didn't hear anything coming from upstairs so she assumed that Molly had gone directly to her bed. Hermione knew the Weasleys would likely come through the floo or apparate into the backyard so she decided to step out into the front yard and apparate from there. Hermione opened the front door and took one step out before she thought she heard Molly call her name. She stepped back into the house and managed to partially shut the door before she heard a loud bang and felt a wave of heat behind her that threw her forward into the Weasley home. She felt searing pain and could feel her ears ringing before she blacked out.

* * *

A/N: The end is near.


	22. Chapter 21

Everything hurt. As Hermione came to, that was all she could think. Everything hurt. She tried to move but it sent shooting pain throughout her entire body. She managed to open one eye and she saw red. It sounded like someone might have been talking but she couldn't hear anything over the ringing in her ears. She managed to open both eyes and realized the red she saw was the red of George Weasley's hair. Through her haze she could see his lips moving but she couldn't make out what he was saying. She tried to speak but, again, felt shooting pain throughout her whole body. She closed her eyes against the pain and felt the darkness enclose her again.

The next time she woke up, she didn't feel a thing. She opened her eyes and saw nothing but white. She tried to sit up but her whole body felt heavy. She managed to shift a little and that's when a pair of silver eyes came into her view.

"Don't move," Draco whispered, gently cupping her cheek. "I'll get the healer."

She tried to tell him not to go but he disappeared from view. What felt like an eternity later, the kind eyes of Luna Lovegood came into her view.

"Hello, Hermione!" Luna said, in her sing-song voice. "Nice to see you."

St. Mungo's, Hermione realized. She must be in St. Mungo's. She must have been in pretty bad shape too in Luna was the one treating her. Luna only took the most severe cases.

"You looked quite terrible and bloody when you came in," Luna said, her tone still cheerful. "But as it turns out, it was just a couple of gashes all over your body. I've patched you up and you should be feeling fine in a day or so."

"Merlin, Lovegood, your bedside manner is unparalleled," Draco said, sarcastically.

"Malfoy," Hermione rasped, warningly. "Be nice."

"You're in a hospital bed and you still try to keep me in line," Draco replied, but there was no heat behind his words.

"Here, take this," Luna said, before shoving a potion down Hermione's throat.

Hermione had no choice but to swallow the lumpy, disgusting potion.

"What the hell was that?" Draco asked.

"Soothing potion," Luna said, with an airy smile. "Now it won't hurt her to talk."

"Thank you, Luna," Hermione answered, pleased when her voice came out normal. "It's good to see you too. What are you doing out of your usual division?"

"It's all hands on deck when it's code black," Luna explained. "When George brought you in, I happened to be the one at the door. So I brought you up here to keep you away from the others. Draco barged in about 20 minutes ago - nearly broke the door."

"I only barged in because I had to," Draco argued. "She wouldn't let me in!"

"I'll leave you two to catch up," Luna said, patting Hermione on the arm. "Send Draco if you need anything."

At that, Luna floated out of the room, humming an upbeat tune.

"Why aren't you with Harry?" Hermione wanted to know as soon as Luna closed the door behind her. "You're supposed to be helping him find Ginny."

"I promised Potter I would come here and check on you while they went and raided the Bullstrode property," Draco told her. "He looked like he was going to have a stroke using his brain so much trying to figure out whether to come see you or go get his wife."

"Malfoy," Hermione scolded but relented when she realized what it meant that Harry trusted Draco to come to her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I actually feel fine," she replied.

"Lovegood pumped you up with pain potions," he told her. "I'd be surprised if you could feel anything."

Hermione responded with a laugh. "When do you think I can get out of here?"

"As soon as you're healed, you can do," Draco told her. "Which I'm guessing will take a couple of days."

"We don't have a couple of days!" Hermione exclaimed. "We need to find Ginny and Hannah as soon as possible. You've got to get me out of here."

"Like hell," Draco replied, curtly. "You'll stay put until you've recovered."

"Malfoy, I'm fine," Hermione argued. "I feel perfectly fine, Luna patched up any scratches I may have had, let's just get out of here."

Hermione tossed her blankets aside but in an instant Draco was on top of her, holding her wrists up next to her head as he straddled her lower body.

"You will stay put until a healer says that you don't," he said, menacingly.

"What is wrong with you?" Hermione exclaimed, wriggling underneath him. "Why are you acting like this?"

"What's wrong with me?" Draco asked, settling himself on top of her so every single part of his body was aligned with hers. "What's wrong with me?"

He crushed his mouth to hers, using his tongue to invade her mouth and take possession. Her hands flexed under his hold as he poured his frustrations into the kiss. Hermione responded with equal furvor. But just as quickly as it had started, Draco wrenched back, rolled them, and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to his chest. Hermione lay with her ear against his heart and listened to the fast pace that it was beating at.

"You scared me," Draco told her, quietly, squeezing her even tighter. "I got here right after Lovegood brought you in. There was so much blood. You were so pale."

"I AM okay," Hermione whispered back, rubbing her hands along his back. "It's a few cuts and bruises. I've had worse."

Draco placed a light kiss on her forehead before leaning back so he could look at her.

"You're important to me," he said, still keeping his voice low. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"You're important to me too," Hermione told him, smiling up at him. "I don't want anything to happen to you either."

"The difference being I'm not the one who somehow managed to survive a small bomb with cuts and bruises," Draco replied.

"Is that what it was?" Hermione asked, sitting up and nearly dislodging Draco from the bed. "A bomb?"

"Ah, uh, yeah," Draco said, righting himself on the bed. "Whoever set it up must have thought someone would go into the house through the front door but you were coming out of the door and you must have turned around at the right split second that the door took the majority of the blast."

"These Death Eaters are really starting to piss me off," Hermione said, agitated, raising an eyebrow when Draco laughed. "What?"

"Nothing," Draco replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Nothing at all."

Before Hermione could answer, the door to the room swung open and Harry, Ron, Molly, and George entered the room. Draco debated getting off the bed but instead opted to wrap an arm around Hermione's waist and learn her against him so she could sit up. She slid away from him a little though to wrap her arms around Harry and Ron. She released them quickly though and looked at them.

"No Ginny?" she asked, concerned.

"No," Harry said, shaking his head. "The teams are working their way through the list right now. They are checking every property for magical signatures. If they find somewhere, they'll alert us and we'll apparate over. We wanted to come check on you."

"I'm fine," Hermione said, giving the boys, then Molly and George a smile. "George, thank you for getting me here."

"Don't scare me like that again," George said, coming forward and giving her a quick hug. "I mean it."

Molly gave a small sob before she wrapped her arms around Hermione. "I'm so happy you're okay," she sobbed.

"Mum," Ron said, pulling his mother away from Hermione. "You're smothering her."

"When can you get out of here?" Harry asked.

"She can go first thing tomorrow," Luna said, from the doorway. "All her cuts are healed and she doesn't have a concussion so I'd just like to keep her for observation."

"I don't need to be here for observation," Hermione argued. "I promise to take it easy but I need to be out helping find Ginny and Hannah, I can't be stuck here."

Draco opened his mouth to protest but Luna cut him off.

"I figured you wouldn't want to stay," Luna said, with a smile. She held up a small, clear pouch that had several vials inside. "So take one of these every couple of hours if you're in any pain at all. BUT you have to promise to come back here the minute you feel like you're in too much pain or feel faint."

"I promise," Hermione replied, excitedly. "Thank you, Luna!"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Draco asked, looking to Luna.

"She'll be okay," Luna promised. "I already filled out your discharge paperwork, there's muggle scrubs in the bathroom for you to change into so you have something to wear home. Why don't you go change then I have someone who wants to see you."

"Okay?" Hermione agreed, puzzled.

"Why don't we clear out go back to Grimmauld Place," Harry offered. "You can meet us there when you're ready. Malfoy, you'll take her home?"

Draco nodded in response and Hermione thanked her friends for coming. When they were finally alone, Draco helped Hermione out of the bed. She disappeared into the bathroom and emerged a minute later, dressed in light purple muggle scrubs.

Nearly as soon as Hermione had stepped out of the bathroom, Luna opened the door again.

"Hermione, I want you to meet Gabriel," Luna said, wheeling a small boy into the room.

Hermione gasped as she recognized his eyes.

"How are you?" she asked, fighting back tears.

"Luna says I'm going to be okay," Gabriel replied, giving her a small smile. "Thank you for saving my life."

He held out his arms to her and, without hesitation, Hermione swooped in, giving him a hug.

"I have to stay here a while," Gabriel informed her when she pulled back. "Luna says I need lots of time to heal."

"Well Luna knows best," Hermione said, wiping the stray tears that had begun to fall.

"Will you visit me?" he asked, quietly. "I don't have anyone else."

Hermione felt her heart crack in two. "Of course, I will," she told him. "As often as I can."

"Okay," Gabriel replied, giving her another small smile. "I'm tired now."

"Off to bed with you then," Luna said, opening Hermione's door.

Another healer appeared and wheeled Gabriel away.

"Thank you for that," Hermione said, tightening her grip when Draco slid his hand into hers. "What's going to happen to him?"

"He'll need to be here for another couple of weeks," Luna told her. "Then he'll go into foster care."

"Why is he here?" Draco wanted to know. "I've never heard of muggles being treated in St. Mungo's."

"We do it on occasion," Luna replied. "But as it turns out, young Gabriel isn't a muggle at all."

"He has magic?" Hermione asked, surprised. "But how?"

"The same way you do," Luna answered, with a shrug. "No one knows. I suspect nargles but no one has proven that yet. But he's six and already is showing signs of having very strong magic. I'm guessing that's probably what saved his life."

"Is it okay for me to visit?" Hermione wanted to know. "I'd like to visit."

"Of course," Luna replied. "But I really have to be going. Owl me if you need anything!"

With a smile and a wave, Luna bounded out of the room.

As soon as Luna was gone, Draco pulled Hermione so she was facing him.

"How are you?" he asked. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to stop by my place and shower," Hermione told him. "Then I'll change clothes and we can go back to Grimmauld Place."

"Okay," Draco replied. "Let's go."

About 20 minutes later, Hermione let herself and Draco into her home.

"Are you okay to shower on your own?" Draco asked, innocently. "I'd be happy to...wash your back."

"Yes," Hermione replied, swatting his shoulder with a laugh. "I'll be back shortly."

Hermione went into her bedroom and, after grabbing a dress, she stepped into the bathroom. She let the water wash away the day. She noted that she did have some bruising but overall, she didn't look like she'd just survived a bomb. She turned off the water and, after carefully drying off, she got dressed. She tossed the towel on the back of the door and walked into the main area of the flat. Draco was sitting on the couch, flipping through her copy of Hogwarts; A History. He looked up when he heard her enter the room. Hermione went and sat next to him on the couch and leaned her head against his shoulder. Draco wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her close to him. They just sat, in silence, absorbing each other's comfort.

Hermione pulled back and gave Draco a quick kiss but when she tried to pull away, he followed her, smoothly sliding them so she lay underneath him on the couch.

"We have to go," Hermione whispered, running her fingers through his hair.

"We have time," Draco whispered back, kissing her again.

Hermione let herself fall into the kiss until she felt her head swim. Draco's mouth left hers and moved to her neck. Hermione slid her hands under his shirt, sliding her nails up his spine. In response, he bucked his hips into her, and nipped at the base of her ear. He pulled back for a moment and pulled her up with him. He threw his shirt off and quickly dropped his pants and briefs. But when Hermione went to remove her shirt, he smacked her hands away. Slowly, seductively, he lifted her dress over her head. Lightening fast, he unsnapped her bra, tossing it over the couch. He then pushed her back down onto the couch and took her breast into his mouth. Hermione arched against him and moaned as he ran his tongue over one nipple and rolled her other nipple in his hand. He switched abruptly, giving the other breast just as much attention. Then he slowly kissed his way down her body, pinching her nipples to punctuate every kiss. He slowed when he reached her underwear and slid it off her body. He tossed it somewhere behind him and spread her legs in front of him. He placed feather-light kisses along the inside of her thighs, skipping over the one place she wanted him to go. When she finally let out a frustrated groan, he slid one finger inside her and he groaned. He slid a second finger in and began pumping his fingers in and out of her. Hermione began breathing heavily but that wasn't good enough for Draco. He continued to pump his fingers in and out of her as he slid his tongue on her clit. Her whole body jumped when his tongue touched her. Draco pressed down on the lower part of her stomach and closed his mouth over her clit. He began to quickly pump his fingers in and out of her as his tongue rapidly massaged her clit.

"Tell me when you're close," he rasped out, lifting his head only a moment before returning his attention to her clit.

"I'm close," Hermione sputtered a minute later and Draco pulled away.

Hermione opened her eyes and was about to beg when Draco slid inside her. Their moans tangled together as he buried himself inside her. Draco pumped his hips as fast as he could and Hermione met him thrust for thrust. Draco reached between them and with a furious rub of her clit, brought Hermione to a screaming climax. With one more pump, Draco let out a large groan as he came inside her. They both lay there, spent, just feeling each other breathe.

After a few minutes later, Draco pulled himself from Hermione's warmth and gave her a quick kiss.

"We should get back to your friends," he said, giving her a smile. "Reality calls."

Unable to find any words, Hermione simply smiled back. They dressed in silence and, when they were ready to go, Draco simply took her into his arms and held her for a moment.

"When this is over, will you come back here with me?" Hermione asked into his chest.

Draco tightened his arms around her before pulling back and kissing her deeply. "Yes," he said. "Absolutely."

He released her and, linking hands, they went through her floo to Grimmauld Place. When they arrived, Harry was waiting for them.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," Harry replied, sullenly. "We checked every single property on Narcissa's list and no one is there. No one has been there for several years. I don't know what to do next."

"We'll come up with a new plan," Hermione said, with certainty. "Maybe we can go back to Narcissa, see if there's anywhere else she thinks they could go."

"Did you try our home?" Draco asked, looking at Harry.

"Your home?" Harry repeated. "Why would we try your home?"

"Because every single person that you're missing has been to every single other person's summer home," Draco replied. "Including the Malfoy summer home."

"Why would they go there?" Harry wanted to know.

"I don't know," Draco admitted. "But we never altered the wards so they could probably still get in. It's another place to check."

"What about Zabini's family's summer home?" Harry asked.

"They never invited anyone there," Draco replied, shaking his head. "They weren't a part of that core group of purebloods. They only came into the war because they were forced in."

"So the Malfoy summer home is where we go next," Hermione said. "Where's the team?"

"On stand-by," Harry told her. "Also eating dinner in the backyard because Molly panic-cooks."

"Let them eat," Hermione suggested. "Draco can take us to the summer house and, if there's a magical signature there, we can send for them."

"That's a good idea," Harry replied. "I'll just run out and let them know where we're going."

Harry hurried out of the room and Hermione turned to Draco.

"Thank you for helping," she said. "I know you don't like Harry but it means a lot to me that you're helping."

"He's still an asshole," Draco replied, barely dodging the smack of Hermione's hand on his arm. "But no one should have the person they care about taken from them. I'll help get she-Potter back."

"Her name is Ginny,' Hermione told him. "You're going to have to start calling them all by their names you know."

"Sure," Draco replied, amiably. "Eventually."

Before Hermione could respond, Harry came back in.

"Ready?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Harry replied. "But everyone is coming. They didn't want us to do this on our own."

Sure enough, the rest of Harry's team and Hermione's team filtered into the living room.

Hermione looked up at Draco. "So, where are we going?"

"Malfoy Castle," Draco said, ignoring the way Hermione's eyebrow raised at his word. "The only way you can get there is with a Malfoy so I suppose we'll have to do the world's most ridiculous side-along apparation. Link arms."

Everyone linked arms, with Hermione linking her arm with Draco's on one side of him and, to his relief, Millicent linked arms with him on the other side. Hermione closed her eyes and felt the pull of apparation drag them away. She opened her eyes and saw a large castle up on a cliff, with waves crashing up against the bottom.

"For Merlin's sake, Malfoy," Hermione said.

"It's been in my family for years," Draco replied. "It's not as nice as the Manor."

"It's a freaking castle!" Ron exclaimed. "An actual, real, castle!"

"Yes, Weasley," Draco answered, annoyed. "It IS called Malfoy Castle."

"Can we focus?" Harry requested. "We need to get closer to detect a magical signature."

"You can't," Draco told him. "I brought you to the edge of the wards. Past this point only purebloods can pass."

"Can't you change the wards?" Hermione asked.

"Not without getting closer," Draco told her. "So why don't you give me the magical signature checker-thing and, if there's a magical signature, I'll lower the wards."

"Why not just lower the wards and let us check?" Dean asked.

"Because I'm still a Malfoy," Draco replied. "I'm not letting you in here unless I have to."

"Someone should go with you then," Seamus chimed in. "Someone who actually knows how to use the 'magical signature-checker thing' as Malfoy so eloquently put it."

"None of you are purebloods," Draco said, agitatedly. "Weren't you listening?

"Ron is," Hermione offered. "He could go with you."

Draco and Ron both gaped at her.

"You're serious?" Draco asked. "You want Weasley and I to go, just the two of us, together, alone, just us, beyond the wards that no one else can enter?"

"Hermione, this is your worst idea to date," Ron added.

"Do you want to save Ginny?" Hermione asked, looking pointedly at both of them.

When they shook their heads affirmatively, she continued. "Well then you can put aside your school prejudices, take your heads out of your asses, and grow up."

Draco and Ron looked at one another, looked at Hermione, then looked at one another again.

"Okay," Draco relented. "Weasley comes with."

"Okay," Ron echoed. "Me and Malfoy."

"Great," Harry said, jumping in. "Go now, go quickly, and for Merlin's sake, please don't kill each other."

"No promises," they both muttered, glaring at one another when they realized what the other had said.

"Just go," Hermione said, exasperated.

But before either of them could take a step, Katie called out. "Wait!"

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Did you say the Parkinson house had a spell that alerted them when someone entered?" she asked. "What if something like that is here?"

"Only a Malfoy can alter the wards," Draco told her, rolling his eyes.

"But it wouldn't necessarily be an alteration to the wards," Katie argued. "It could be anything that falls anywhere on either side of the wards."

"She could be right," Draco admitted, after thinking for a moment. "Does anyone know how to check?"

"Erin does," Ron replied, frowning. "But I guess we don't really have time to bring a full cursebreaker team down."

"Malfoy, do you know what wards are on the Castle?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," Draco replied, giving her a confused look. "Every pureblood learns how to alter the family wards the summer after their first year at Hogwarts."

"So then would you recognize any unfamiliar magic?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Yes," Draco answered, confidently but then changed his answer. "Well, maybe."

"Try," Hermione encouraged.

"Alright," Draco said.

He began to waive his wand around the edges of the wards, casting testing spells on the wards. They all watched as the wards absorbed every spell Draco cast until one hit the lowest branch of a large tree and rebounded, narrowly missing Draco.

"What the hell was that?" Ron shouted, jumping back.

"Non-Malfoy magic," Draco replied. "That's the only thing that would cause that to happen."

"So there's a spell there," Harry said. "And we can safely assume it's either some kind of alerting spell or some kind of explosive spell."

"Neither of which we can do anything about," Ron added. "Because we aren't Erin Elles."

"What if we just blew it up?" Seamus asked.

His suggestion received a chorus of groans.

"I don't see anyone else coming up with ideas," he grumbled.

"Well we know that whatever it is, it's activated by motion, right?" Hermione said, giving Harry a knowing look. "But what if it couldn't detect motion?"

"Of course," Harry replied. "I have it here."

Harry reached into his pack and pulled out his invisibility cloak.

"Is that an invisibility cloak?" Draco asked. "Of course Potter has a bloody invisibility cloak."

"It won't work against old magic like wards," Harry told them. "But it should work against something like that spell."

"I suppose the only way to know is to try," Draco questioned, sarcastically.

"Suppose so," Harry replied, handing it over to Draco.

Draco took the invisibility cloak from Harry and threw it over he and Ron. Together, the two men crossed into the wards and disappeared from sight. For the longest five minutes of Hermione's life, they all stood around waiting. Harry paced, Dean and Seamus played catch with a pine cone and the others just milled around. Hermione walked over to Harry and placed a hand on his arm to stop him from pacing.

"This will work," Hermione said, reassuringly. "If that alarm had gone off, we'd have known by now. Everyone will be fine. Besides, knowing Ginny, whoever has her is miserable right now."

"That's probably true," Harry replied, with a small smile. "I'm just so worried about her. About my kid. I don't know what I would do without them."

"You'll never have to find out," Hermione told him, confidently. "We're going to get them back."

"Will you be the godmother?" Harry asked. "I know it's a little soon but any kid of mine is going to need a godmother like you."

"I'd be honored," Hermione replied, beaming at him.

Suddenly Ron reappeared on the other side of the wards but he was alone and visible.

"Where's Malfoy?" Hermione asked, immediately.

"Taking down the wards," Ron said, stopping to catch his breath.

"He's taking down the wards?" Harry repeated.

"Yes," Ron said, giving Harry a grin. "As far as we can tell we didn't set off any alarms and we have multiple magical signatures. They're here."

* * *

A/N: RESCUE TIME!


	23. Chapter 22

As Ron's words registered in everyone's minds, there was a quiet sizzle followed by silence. Draco appeared a minute later, Harry's cloak in hand.

"The wards are down," he told them. "All except the anti-apparition wards. And I was thinking we could hold the invisibility cloak in front of the tree and have everyone pass behind it."

"Will that work?" Ron asked.

"Worth a shot," Harry said, answering for Draco with a shrug.

Draco threw on the invisibility cloak and moved toward the spot on the tree where his spell had rebounded. He levitated the invisibility cloak up so that it completely obscured the lower part of the tree. Hermione stepped forward and, when nothing happened, crossed the rest of the way to Ron. Seeing that it worked for Hermione, the rest of the group crossed over as well. Once everyone was out of the range of the unknown spell, Draco lowered the invisibility cloak and moved next to Hermione.

"Now what?" Seamus asked.

"Malfoy?" Harry said, looking to Draco. "How do we break in?"

"There's an entrance that only the house elves would use," Draco replied. "No chance Pansy or anyone else would know about that."

"Where do you think they'd hold Ginny and Hannah?" Ron asked, ignoring Hermione's look of surprise that he'd directly addressed Draco.

"Knowing Pansy, the ballroom," Draco replied, pretending not to notice the rolling eyes and groans of annoyance. "It's the largest space in the house and it's where my parents would hold lavish events. Pansy would want to set a scene."

"Where is that in relation to the house elves entrance?" Harry wanted to know.

"There's an entire series of passages behind the walls just for house elves and servants," Draco told them. "It was designed so that the help could move around without disrupting guests or the family."

"I never thought I'd be so grateful for pureblood supremacy," Hermione said, wryly.

"So what's the plan?" Dean asked, concerned. "Storm the room, all dozen of us, through a tiny passage and pop out one at a time and get them?"

"What if we split in half?" Hermione offered. "Six of us can stay outside, maybe try to get in through a window or a back door - something obvious to draw attention away from the people who are going through the house elf entrance."

"That's a good idea," Harry replied. "But how should we split up?"

"The most visible of you should be at the door," Draco suggested. "So Potter's team should go."

"I should go with you," Hermione chimed in.

"Absolutely not," Draco said, causing everyone's eyebrows to raise.

"I wasn't asking, I was telling," Hermione replied. "You want visible, Harry, Ron and I all together is as visible as it gets."

"Granger," Draco tried but Hermione cut him off.

"Harry?" Hermione said, looking pointedly at her best friend.

"Hermione, Ron, Dean, Seamus, Katie, and I will go in as the distraction," Harry said, knowing Hermione well enough that arguing would be futile. "The rest of you will go with Malfoy. Getting Ginny and Hannah out is our top priority but we also need to arrest as many of them as we can. Understood?"

"Understood," everyone chorused.

As the groups split, Hermione moved toward Ron and Harry but stopped when she felt Draco's hand on her arm. She looked at him, a defiant look on her face, as if daring him to tell her not to go. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her lightly.

"Be safe," he said and released her hand, giving her something as he did.

"You too," she replied, smiling at him.

They separated and Hermione joined Ron, Harry, Dean, Seamus, and Katie. Hermione looked at what Draco had given her and it was a floor plan of the castle. There was no way he could have drawn it just then which meant he'd drawn it beforehand, anticipating they'd be separated and that she would be the one who was visible. He knew her well, she thought with a smile. Very well.

"We'll give you a 5 minute head start," Harry said, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts. "Then we'll enter."

"Use window around the right from the front door," Draco suggested, as his group began to move toward the back. "It was the one we used when we were kids to scare our parents when they were in the sitting room. I'm sure Pansy will have someone there."

Hermione watched as Draco led her team out of their sight. They would listen to him, she knew. She just hoped Dennis didn't do something stupid given his feelings about Slytherins. Exactly five minutes later, Harry's team disillusioned themselves and moved silently toward the castle. When they reached the front door, they moved around to the right as Draco had directed. Sure enough, Hermione could see Pansy's parents sitting in the room. To her surprise, the window was opened partially. They listened as someone entered the room.

"Make yourselves useful," they heard Pansy snap. "Potter and his crew will eventually figure out where we are and you'll need to be the ones to sound the alarm."

"Pansy, they won't be here for hours," they heard Mrs. Parkinson say in a bored voice. "Besides, none of them can even get in here, they aren't purebloods."

"They'll find a way," Pansy replied. "Mark my words."

"Well we'll just play some chess until they do," Mr. Parkinson said.

They heard Pansy give a groan of frustration before stomping out of the room.

Gesturing to Harry, Ron slid up under the window and silently knocked out Pansy's parents. Harry cast a cushioning charm so that when they slid from the chairs they were sitting in, it didn't make a sound. One by one, they lifted themselves into the house. Dean quickly bound the Parkinsons.

Hermione opened the map Draco had given her. The ballroom was of course at the furthest end of the house from where they had entered, Hermione noted, frustrated. Then something else caught her eye. Hermione pointed to it on the map, down the hall from where they currently were, and Harry cocked his head in confusion. Hermione then pointed to Seamus, whose eyes lit up when he realized Hermione was pointing to the kitchen.

"Boom?" Seamus mouthed, grinning.

"Boom," Hermione mouthed back, returning his grin.

"That would be one hell of a diversion," Ron whispered, also grinning. "Let's do it."

"Hermione, lead the way," Harry whispered. "Katie, stay here and guard them."

Katie nodded in response. Hermione looked at the map and noted they would have to go through the dining room to get to the kitchen. She disillusioned herself and watched as the others disappeared. Quickly, single file, the group moved through the house. Not two minutes later, they slid into the dining room through the partially open door. Sitting at the large wooden table, however, were the Greengrasses and Flints. Hermione had no idea how to communicate with the others that they needed to knock them out but all of a sudden, each one of them dropped, with someone else casting the cushioning charm. Harry reappeared before her eyes and he put up a silencing charm.

"Perks of working as a team for as long as we have," Harry said with a grin. "We don't need words to execute a plan."

Ron moved quickly over to the Greengrasses and the Flints and bound them.

"So who is left? Dean asked.

"Pansy, Nott Sr., and Millicent's parents," Hermione said. "The Puceys as well."

At her words, the door to the kitchen swung open and the Puceys entered. Quick as lightening, Ron knocked them out and Dean had them bound before they even hit the ground.

"Make that Pansy, Nott Sr., and Millicent's parents," Hermione amended.

"So we need something that will cause a great deal of noise but not cause a lot of damage," Harry told Seamus. "Our friends are in the walls somewhere and it would probably be best if we didn't do anything too drastic."

"Great deal of noise, minimal damage, that's Seamus' specialty," Dean said, with a laugh.

"We'll clear out into the hallway," Harry said. "As soon as you're done, come back in here and keep an eye on these guys. Hopefully that will be enough to draw them out of the ballroom so we can go in."

"How long will it take you to get to the ballroom?" Seamus asked.

"Give us five minutes," Harry said. "Then do it."

With a nod, Hermione, Ron and Harry disillusioned themselves, moved out of the dining room and back into the hallway. Quickly and quietly, with Hermione's map as a guide, they made their way into what looked like a study which was immediately next to the ballroom. They aligned themselves on either side of the double doors that led into the ballroom. Not 30 seconds after they made it into position and removed the disillusionment charm did they hear a violently loud explosion. Harry looked to Hermione and Ron. When both nodded, Harry flung open the door and they entered all at once. Instead of an empty room, however, they came face to face with Nott Senior who had his wand trained on Ginny. She was bound, gagged, and on her knees at his feet. Hannah was next to her, also bound and gagged but lying on the floor unconscious. Millicent Bullstrode's parents stood stoically near the windows that lined the wall to the left of Nott.

"Mr. Potter," Nott, Senior greeted, with a bow of his head. "How nice of you to join us."

"It's over, Nott," Harry said, pointing his wand at him. "There's many more of us than there are of you."

"Oh, you think so?" Nott replied.

He waved his wand and all of a sudden, Katie, Seamus, and Dean appeared. They were bound and gagged as well, each strung up along the wall behind Nott with their hands above their head. Their feet just barely touching the ground.

"Nott, let them go," Hermione said, cautiously. "No one needs to get hurt."

"Oh I won't hurt them," Nott, Senior said, keeping his wand trained on Ginny. "But I can't promise what she'll do."

Suddenly the doors to the right of Nott flew open and Pansy Parkinson emerged.

"Quite an entrance, Parkinson," Ron snarled.

"If you think that's an entrance, wait for what you see next," Pansy purred, raising her wand.

Before anyone could stop her, there was another loud explosion, similar to the first one, and aimed at the wall behind Nott where Katie, Seamus, and Dean hung. Pansy didn't hit them but Hermione, Ron, and Harry watched in horror as Dennis, Millicent, Susan, and Padma fell through the wall and lay on the floor, unmoving. Not Draco, Hermione thought, trying to calm her racing heart. Not Draco. But then where the hell was he?

"Pansy, enough!" Hermione shouted. "They're hurt, just stop!"

"They deserve to be hurt. You all deserve to be hurt," Pansy snapped back. "For putting us in that place. For taking everything from us."

"We're all trained Aurors," Harry pointed out. "We know what we're doing. Be reasonable."

"They were all Aurors too but they were easy to catch," Pansy mocked. "It was easy enough to kill Shacklebolt, it'll be even easier to kill them then kill you."

"Why did you kill Kingsley?" Ron demanded to know. "He was a good wizard and a good man."

"He wouldn't give back what we'd lost," Pansy replied, frowning. "As if he somehow had the right to take from purebloods. I tried to get him to see reason but…well I had no choice but to kill him."

"We always have a choice," Hermione chimed in.

"Blah, blah, Gryffindor bullshit, blah," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. "He tried to obliviate me that night, you know that? Take my memories. Again. So I took his life. I'd say it's fair but that hardly makes us even."

"How did you even get out of Asylum?" Ron asked. "We made that place a fortress."

"Even fortresses have their weak points," Pansy replied, with a shrug. "When I got my memories back, I went to work. It took longer than I hoped for me to find a break in the wards but when I did, I could come and go as I please."

"Why not just leave?" Hermione asked. "You could have gone, lived a good life somewhere else, and left it all behind."

Pansy face darkened at her words. "You tried to make us disappear once," Pansy answered. "I wasn't going to do it for you."

"What do you want?" Harry asked, wearily. "You've done all of this for what? Revenge? There has to be something that you actually want."

"Drop your wands," Pansy ordered. "I want you to know what it feels like to be helpless.

"We'll drop ours if you drop yours," Harry told her. "We can just talk. You can tell us wat you really want."

Pansy slid her wand from Ginny's back to her throat, poking her hard enough that Ginny cried out against the gag. "Drop the wands, NOW!"

"Okay," Harry said, setting his wand down on the ground and gesturing for Hermione and Ron to do the same. Slowly they all dropped their wands to the ground.

"Now what?" Harry asked Pansy. "What do you want?"

"Blood," Pansy said, shoving Ginny down and raising her wand. "Secum-"

"NOW!" Draco's voice came booming from behind the wall.

Suddenly Mrs. and Mrs. Bullstrode drew their wands and cast expelliarmus spells at Pansy and Nott, Senior. At the last second, Pansy was able to block the spell but Nott, Senior wasn't so lucky. The force of the spell knocked him backwards, sending him into a wall. He slid against the wall, unconscious.

"What the hell are you doing?" Pansy snapped, casting a cruciatus at the Bullstrodes that narrowly missed Mrs. Bullstrode. "You work for me!"

Suddenly Pansy was flung across the room and pinned there. Ropes seemed to come out of nowhere and bind her tightly. She struggled against the restraints but to no avail. "I'll kill you," she screamed, thrashing against the ropes. "I'll kill you all!"

Draco emerged from behind the Bullstrodes and when Pansy saw him, she truly lost it.

"You?!" she screeched. "You're a pureblood, you're a Malfoy, and you're helping these blood traitors and these mudbloods?! You disgust me, you're pathetic, you vile, repu-"

Pansy's mouth kept moving but the sound stopped.

"Well that's quite enough of that," Draco said.

With a wave of his wand, he released Dean, Seamus, and Katie, who immediately rushed over to check on Susan, Dennis, Millicent, and Padma. Draco then released Ginny and Hannah. He walked over to the two women and handed them a potion. Hermione then noticed the Bullstrodes had moved so they were next to Draco. He handed them a potion as well. Hermione watched in surprise as Ginny and Hannah slowly became the Bullstrodes and the Bullstrodes turned into Ginny and Hannah. The Bullstrodes rushed over to Millicent and enveloped her in a hug.

"What the hell?" Ron exclaimed, as Harry rushed toward Ginny and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Polyjuice," Draco explained. "Pansy and Nott were busy following all of you around when we got here so we took advantage. She-Potter and She-Longbottom are better duelers than the Bullstrodes so we did a quick switch. We heard Pansy coming back so Dennis, Susan, Padma and Millicent threw themselves into Pansy's path to buy me more time."

"Where the hell did you get polyjuice potion?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Kitchen," Draco replied. "Pansy had a stash likely from when she was pretending to be you. I just helped myself to it."

At a loss for words, Hermione just crossed the room and threw her arms around Draco. He wrapped his arms around her as well and placed a quick kiss on the top of her head. Hermione let go but Draco kept one arm wrapped around her waist and kept her at his side. Hermione looked around the room and saw that everyone was conscious and seemingly fine.

"We'll transport Parkinson and Nott, Senior," Dean offered, pointing to himself, Seamus and Katie. "Everyone else should probably go to St. Mungo's."

"We'll get them there," Harry said, releasing Ginny so Ron could hug her.

Harry walked over to Draco and held out his hand. Draco shook Harry's hand and Hermione beamed at the two of them.

"You're still an asshole," Draco said, after they let go, earning a poke in the side from Hermione.

"Likewise," Harry replied, with a half-laugh.

"Can we get the hell out of here?" Hannah asked. "I'd very much like to see my husband."

"Of course," Harry replied. "We have enough portkeys for everyone as long as everyone travels in at least pairs. Ron?"

Ron passed out portkeys to their group before walking over to the Bullstrodes who were standing silently off to the side. Ron seemed to say a few words to them, Mrs. Bullstrode responded, then Ron handed them a portkey. Hermione looked at him curiously when he walked back over to them.

"They helped," Ron said, with a shrug. "So we'll help."

Hermione pulled away from Draco and threw her arms around Ron's neck. "I'm proud of you," she whispered in his ear, before pulling back.

Hermione moved back toward Draco to activate their portkey but he put his hand over hers. He kept it there until everyone else had apparated out of the room. Hermione looked up at Draco with concern.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Draco said, giving her a smile. "I just wanted a minute, just for us, before you inevitably go back to trying to save the world."

"You can have all the time you want," Hermione replied, moving up onto her toes to brush his lips with hers. "I'm proud of you too, you know."

"Me?" Draco repeated, surprised. "Why me?"

"Because of what you did here today," Hermione replied. "For who you've become."

"I think we can safely blame you for a great deal of that," Draco said, with a laugh.

Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and she slid her arms up around his neck.

"So what now?" Draco asked, his face close to hers.

"Now we finish what we've started," Hermione replied. "Together."

Draco gave Hermione a quick kiss and released her. He held out his hand and she intertwined her fingers with his.

"Together," he repeated and activated the portkey.

* * *

A/N: One chapter left. The prologue. Kidding ;) Epilogue, here we come.


	24. Epilogue

A/N: The actual epilogue. Still can't believe I did that.

* * *

 _5 years later_

"Harry James Potter, you cannot possibly be serious," Hermione shouted. "We can't do that!"

"Hermione, please," Harry said, rubbing his temples. "Sit down and let's talk about this."

"I am NOT going to cheat at Charades!," Hermione hissed. "This is a family game!"

"Oi, when's dinner?" Ron asked from his place on the couch.

"Ten minutes, Weasley," Draco called from the kitchen. "If you can convince Hermione to stop yelling at Potter and help me in here it might be less."

"Come on, Hermione," Ron pleaded. "Go help your poor husband."

"We are NOT poor!" Draco shouted, his response greeted with laughter from the room.

Hermione rose from her spot on the couch and passed by Ron and a very pregnant Lavender. They'd married the year before and wasted no time with starting a family. Lavender was due any day now and it showed. As Hermione passed through the living room, she looked outside through the large windows Draco had installed across the back of their home. She could see Ginny and Daphne outside chatting as James, Albus, and Lily Potter ran around the yard with Daphne and Greg's daughter Olivia as well as Gabriel. Astoria was nearby, holding hands with Blaise and he chatted with Greg. Hannah, Neville, and Luna she knew were probably in the greenhouse looking through the new plants Draco had just ordered for their potions business. So much had changed since Asylum fell apart, she mused. Nearly all for the better. Her own life especially she thought as she entered the kitchen to find her husband sitting at the kitchen island while Narcissa and Molly bustled around finishing up the meal.

"So you need help in here, huh, Draco?" Hermione asked, sliding up next to him.

"Yes," Draco replied, his mouth twitching into a smile. "I was hoping you could tell me whether or not we'd be having dessert tonight."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her husband.

"Yes," she replied, giving him a look that caused his lips to curve into a full smile. "You prat."

"Dinner is ready!" Molly called. "We're eating outside!"

Hermione and Draco helped Molly and Narcissa levitate all the food out to the giant wooden table that sat on the massive deck, not far from the pool at the back of the house. Every time she saw the pool Hermione wanted to roll her eyes. But Draco was insistent they had to have the lavish house and the ridiculous amenities and she acquiesced because, well, she really didn't mind. And all the space meant they could do things like this. Family dinners in the middle of the summer. Everyone piled around the table and dove into the food. Before anyone could begin eating, Hermione stood and raised her glass.

"A toast," she proclaimed. "To all of our families. May they be healthy, happy, and growing."

"And speaking of growing," Draco chimed in, rising as well. "On this, Hermione and I's one year anniversary, I'm happy to say that our family will be growing."

Draco's announcement was met with silence and confusion.

"That's not how you do it, Dad," Gabriel said, rolling his eyes. "I'm getting a baby brother AND a baby sister! Scorpius and Lyra!"

The table immediately erupted into congratulations and chaos. Glasses were cheersed, people jumped from the table to hug Hermione, and Draco just beamed. Once they settled in to eat, Hermione turned to Narcissa who was sitting immediately to her right. She took the older woman's hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm sorry Lucius won't get to meet his grandkids," Hermione said, quietly. "I'm still trying."

"Oh my dear daughter," Narcissa said, squeezing her hand back. "You've done more for Lucius and the rest of them in the last five years. The yearly reviews of their status, the conditions of Azkaban, everything. The fact that you managed to do all that while still helping Draco run the Malfoy family company is amazing to me. It's up to them now. There's nothing else you can do."

Narcissa leaned over and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek. "You're a good girl," Narcissa said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Hermione replied with a smile.

Hermione felt Draco slide his hand over her stomach and she turned back to him.

"I love you," she said, leaning over and giving him a quick kiss.

"I love you too," Draco replied. "Thank you for being my asylum."

* * *

A/N: Phew. So that's the end. I hope you enjoyed reading this story, I very much enjoyed writing it. Please check out my other writing & I'll be posting a one-shot that I wrote a while back within the next couple of days (hopefully!). Thank you for reading/following/favoriting/reviewing - it keeps me going! 3


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